Paying The Price
by pop off valve
Summary: Frisco Jones' quest to save the world cost him everything he held dear. The lady of his heart, two beautiful daughters, his brother, his soul and almost his life. Now he must return to the only place he's ever called home to pick up the pieces of his shattered existence.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own GH or it's characters, nor am I making any money off this (if I was, I wouldn't be posting here).

**Author's note:** There has been a serious lack of Frisco fics and since he's still my favorite character, I though I'd remedy that. This starts out just during Jason & Brenda's trial in January. Although some events from the show will be referenced (or changed in some cases), most of the story takes place apart from what's happening on-screen. The DID story isn't happening, and Georgie does *not* have a crush on her cousin! Look for a few familiar faces to be making appearances. Lyrics belong to Madonna. Please let me know what you think!

**UPDATE 12-8-12: This story is now officially on permanent hiatus and is marked complete so no one will expect updates. It is _not_ finished and never will be.** Explanation is in the notes of Chapter 57. Feel free to read, but keep this in mind that there will be no more.

_I think I'll find another way  
There's so much more to know  
I guess I'll die another day  
It's not my time to go_

_For every sin, I'll have to pay  
I've come to work, I've come to play  
I think I'll find another way  
It's not my time to go_

Frisco Jones sighed, staring at the entrance of Kelly's. He was nervous, he admitted to himself. This was his first proper visit to Port Charles in nearly ten years. Sure, he'd dropped in a couple times to see his daughters, but they were quick visits at the Scorpio home. In the last couple of years, those quick visits had become few and far between. His girls were being raised by another man. He couldn't stand it and he ran away like he had every other painful situation in his life. Well, no more running.

With a new resolve, he opened the small diner's doors and walked in with all his gear. The place hadn't changed much since he'd been gone, not that he had expected it would, although part of him still half expected Ruby to pop her head out and give him a hard time. Instead, a young blonde came out from the kitchen.

"Hi. Looking for a room?" she asked, smiling.

Didn't look like the brightest bulb in the bunch he decided, but still innocently cute. "Nope, just don't have any place to go for a couple hours. Are you still serving breakfast?"

"Sure. What do you want?"

"Scrambled eggs, toast and coffee, black," he said, setting his duffel bag against the wall and his metal file boxes next to the table. He pulled out his laptop, figuring while he waiting for his brother, he'd get through some of the mountain of paperwork he'd put off.

The blonde brought him his coffee finally, taking her sweet time, as he got his computer set up on the table. Service had definitely gone downhill some. Ruby always had coffee ready.

"New in town?"

He wondered if she was just making conversation, or if she was fishing for information. Unless something had changed dramatically, the people in this town loved gossip. "Not really, just haven't been back in a while."

She nodded, probably running through her head all the possibilities. To hell with that, he had work to get done. "Is Bobbie working at the hospital today?" he asked, feeling the urge to find someplace to take a shower and sleep. He hadn't slept since early the previous morning, and even then it had been barely more than a nap.

"I think so. You know Bobbie?"

Maybe it was just the nature of his work, but this line of questioning was making him uncomfortable. He'd be the subject of gossip soon enough; he didn't need it coming from her. He shot her an annoyed glare and mumbled, "Thanks."

She took the hint. "My name's Courtney by the way, if you need anything," she said before turning to the kitchen to make his eggs.


	2. Chapter 2

For over three hours, Frisco had dug through files, both paper and computer, trying to pull together his final report. This mission had been a particularly nasty one, and there was a lot of information he needed to report and explain. The more cups of coffee he went through, the more frustrated he was becoming with his agents' notes. He silently cursed himself for putting all this work off for months. 

A second waitress had come in, a young petite brunette. A young man followed shortly after her, he guessed was the brunette's boyfriend. It didn't take him long to recognize the young man. Lucky Spencer. He bore a strong resemblance to Luke and Laura. 

The blonde was whispering with her companions. "I wonder who he is. He's been sitting there all morning, doing whatever it is he's doing." 

"He looks familiar, I can't think of who he is. You said he's from Port Charles?" 

Frisco assumed Lucky would have figured out who he was by now. Granted, they'd only met once or twice, but they weren't complete strangers. Especially since young Spencer was having to beat Maxie off with a stick, according to his younger daughter. Then again, Frisco Jones wasn't the first person anyone would expect to just show up in Port Charles. 

"Yeah, he said he hadn't been here in awhile." She leaned closer to the other two. "One of the times I went over there to refill his coffee, he was looking at dead body photos." 

"Eww!" the brunette said, scrunching up her nose. "How gross!" 

Lucky looked pensive. "Maybe he's a writer. Could be research." 

"Maybe. When I went over there, the folders said classified." 

"Classified? Was there a department name on them?" 

"WSB, I think. Never heard of it." 

"World Security Bureau. Like the FBI or the CIA, only international. That's who Maxie's dad works for. He's a spy." 

Frisco chuckled. The kid was so close… 

"No way! Maxie's dad is a spy? I didn't know that! I thought he was just a deadbeat." 

Bobbie hurried through the doors without a glance in Frisco's direction. He looked up and smiled at his former sister-in-law's bubbly demeanor, his eyes following her as she put her purse underneath the counter. 

"Hi kids. How's it going?" 

"Fine," Courtney answered. "He's been our only customer for awhile." She nodded in Frisco's direction. 

Frisco glanced up long enough to see the recognition slowly pass across the redhead's face. He tried not to smile as the realization set in. "Frisco?" she asked softly, disbelieving. She rushed around the counter excitedly, ignoring the teens' confusion. "Frisco Jones, I can't believe you're here!" 

He stood up and she jumped into his open arms, hugging him tightly. "It's good to see you, too, Bobbie." 

She pulled away, still excited. "How long are you here for?" 

He shrugged. "I don't know exactly. I've got at least two weeks worth of paperwork to do, and then I've got to go back to headquarters for some meetings before my next assignment." 

Bobbie's excitement fell. "Oh, so you're not going to be here for long." 

"Well, actually Sean's putting me in charge of the office here in Port Charles." He sighed dramatically. "It's a desk job." 

Bobbie hugged him again. "That's wonderful, Frisco! Tony, Felicia and the girls will be so excited!" 

He sat back down and gestured to the chair across from him. "I don't know about that," he replied regretfully. 

She slipped into the chair. "Why?" she asked, concerned. 

"I'm not sure they'd be excited that I'm coming home." Frisco flinched at the memory. Things between he and Tony had gone south again, Maxie hated him, he was nothing more than a voice on the phone to Georgie and he'd long since lost the lady of his heart. Yeah, they'd be real excited to have him back. "I've got a lot to make up for." 

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. They'd love to have you home finally. Why do you think they wouldn't?" 

"Tony and I aren't exactly on good terms right now. He's barely speaking to me. Maxie hates me and hasn't been shy about saying it. Georgie doesn't know me from Adam. And Felicia… Well, she belongs to someone else now," he said dejectedly. 

Bobbie nodded knowingly. "I see." She leaned back in her chair and smiled. "Despite what Maxie may say, she still loves you. It'll just take a little time for her to get over it. If it makes you feel better, she's giving Felicia the same treatment right now. Like father, like daughter, as Tony tells me." 

"Oh great," Frisco replied wearily, rubbing his eyes. "A little version of me at fifteen. Just what the world needs." 

She chuckled. "So I've heard. I must say Frisco, obnoxious hellraiser certainly fits you," she teased, receiving an annoyed glare in response. "Maxie will get over it, Frisco. Georgie just needs time to get to know you. She loves hearing your stories. She's got an adventurous streak herself." 

"And my brother? He's still mad at me for not being there for him during the whole Carly thing." 

"He's forgiven you for everything else. He'll forgive you for that, if he hasn't already. Tony still needs his little brother." 

Frisco crossed his arms. "Nothing changes the fact that Felicia-" 

Bobbie finished his sentence for him. "Is now divorced. She and Mac split last year after she had an affair with Luke." 

The hope was obvious in his eyes. "She's single?" He watched dumbfounded as his former sister-in-law nodded. 

"You can ask her yourself," she said, waving to someone. 

Frisco turned around to find his ex-wife standing in the doorway, his surprise mirrored in her face. He hadn't expected to see her and seeing him was definitely a shocker for her, he was sure. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. "Hello Princess," he said softly, a slight lopsided grin on his face. 

Felicia returned his smile. "Hello yourself." 

He stood to face her. "You're looking beautiful as always." 

"You're looking good as well," she said, glancing at her feet. "It's good to see you. How long are you in town for?" 

He took a deep breath. "I'm home," he answered, pausing. "That is, if I'm still welcome." He looked at her hopefully, his eyes almost begging for her approval. 

She searched his eyes, looking for some sign of untruthfulness. Finding only sincerity, she pulled him into her arms. "Of course, you're welcome! It'll be so good to have you home finally!" 

He pulled her tighter, not waiting to let her go. "It's good to be home." He released her and kissed her cheek. He felt her hand caress his cheek. To hell with it, he said to himself. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Neither noticed that Bobbie had left them and returned to her nephew and the waitresses. 

She broke the kiss and pulled away shyly. "You left the WSB?" 

"No, Sean's promoting me to the head of the Port Charles office," he said, putting his hands in his pockets. 

She raised her eyebrows mockingly. "A desk job? You ready for that?" 

He shrugged. "Believe it or not, yes, I am." 

Felicia shook her head, sitting in the chair across from her former husband. "I don't believe it," she responded, flipping pointedly though some of the papers spread over the table, still grinning. 

Frisco sat back down. "I'm tired of not having a home, living out of my office and my duffel bag. I'm tired of my daughters having someone else as a father. I'm tired of not having relationships with the people important to me. I'm just tired of all of it. I was ready to come home a long time ago. I wish I had." 

"Why didn't you?" 

"You don't want to know." 

"Another woman?" she teased. 

"Another man." At her shocked her expression, he added, "I couldn't stand Mac living what should've been my life. So I ran away, like I have everything else." He paused, waiting for a reaction. "I'm sorry, Felicia. I should've come home a long time ago. Hell, I shouldn't have left after Maxie's transplant." 

Felicia reached for his hand. "I understood. I always have. You weren't ready to give up all the excitement and danger to stay at home and be a dad. I understand that very well." 

It was Frisco's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Is that why you slept with," he could barely cough out the name, "Luke Spencer?" 

"Maybe," she said, rolling her eyes. "I hadn't been doing very much PI work, and Mac always seemed to be working, I guess I was bored. Luke offered to help me with the research on Lila. I offered to help him find Lucky. It reminded me of all the adventures we used to have. He reminded me of the man I fell in love with." 

"Please tell me you're referring to Mac and not me," he asked, a disgusted look on his face. 

"He's not that bad, Frisco! I bet you two would get along really well. Trouble just seems to find both of you." She was amused with her ex-husband's discomfort. 

"Gee, thanks." 

"Are you really ready to come home, Frisco? I don't want the girls hurt when you decide you need to go back and save the world again." 

"Yes, I'm ready. Besides, from what Sean's told me, I'd still get to do some field work. He's been talking about taking over a couple investigations he thinks the PCPD are over their heads in." 

"Mac's not going to like that." 

"That's what I thought originally, but I think he might not mind if it meant putting away…" He stopped suddenly. It was too easy to tell her everything. "I really shouldn't say any more. Let's just say it's not Mac that Sean's questioning." 

"Scott Baldwin?" 

He chuckled, knowing she'd figure it out. She would've made a great agent. "That was too easy." 

"Are you going to take over the Alcazar investigation?" 

"Nah, we'll let Baldwin muck that up. He's dead; we really don't care who killed him. Not out of that bunch." 

She leaned forward and whispered, "Not even if it means convicting Sonny and Jason?" 

"If it happens, it happens, although we're not holding our breath on that case. We will take them down, bury them under all the evidence. I guarantee it." 

"Because you're just that good," she said sardonically. 

"Of course. They don't call me the best for nothing," he said with a wink. "Hey, that's Lucky Spencer at the counter, right?" Felicia turned to look and then nodded. "Who is the girl with him?" 

"Liz Webber, his girlfriend. Or ex-girlfriend actually, I think. Steve and Audrey's granddaughter. Why?" 

"Just curious. I like knowing who thinks they're talking behind my back. Or in front of me, in this case. Who's the other girl, Courtney?" 

"AJ Quartermaine's wife. Also happens to be Sonny's sister." 

"Poor girl." 

"So, what's all this?" Felicia asked, referring to the scattered papers and laptop. 

"Paperwork I've been putting off. Nearly a year's worth." 

"I didn't think secret agents did paperwork." 

"The Special Agent-In-Charge does most of it. I was promoted a year and half, maybe two years ago. Less fieldwork, more paperwork. Sean's idea of a bad joke." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Special Agent-In-Charge has to answer for everything that goes on during a mission. I was promoted because no one wanted me underneath them. Something about too many explosions." 

Felicia couldn't help herself and laughed, earning her an annoyed glare from her ex-husband. "Sorry, sorry. I can see why Sean thought it would be funny." 

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it was funny." 

"Poor baby." She rubbed his cheek teasingly. Seeing his displeased look, she changed the subject. "Where are you staying?" 

"I was kinda hoping Tony doesn't hate me enough to make me stay in a hotel." 

"Tony doesn't hate you and you can stay with us. The girls would love to see you and you'd have plenty of privacy to get your paperwork done. The house is pretty much empty during the day and the girls have plenty of homework to do at night. It's a lot more private than this," she said, gesturing to the restaurant that was just beginning to fill with lunchtime customers. 

"Wouldn't want to offend anyone with my dead body photos." Felicia knotted her brow in confusion. Frisco nodded towards Liz and Lucky. "Mission recovery photos. There were some casualties. That's what the three Musketeers over there were talking about." 

"Let's grab lunch and get out of here. Wanna stop by the hospital to see Tony?" 

He started to gather his files. "Sounds good to me. I've been waiting for him to get out of surgery. He should be done by now." 

"Want some chili? Bobbie makes it almost as good as Ruby did." 

"Great." He smiled. 

"Okay," she said, scrunching her nose and walking to the counter. 

Frisco watched as his love spoke to the feisty redhead. She turned around and smiled at him. He still loved her as much as the day he married her. He really should've come home a long time ago.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own GH or it's characters, nor am I making any money off this (if I was, I wouldn't be posting here).  
  
Author's note: Song is "Too Young" by Jack Wagner. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself! ;P) Thanks goblz! I love him too! And there might be something else behind his decision to come home... ;)  
  
  


_That sweet smile and face  
Hangs heavy on my mind  
Is there a way that you can turn back the hands  
The more love that precious time I let slip by  
I can't take much more of this  
So I gotta try  
To get her back to say_

_I was too young but that's no excuse  
I had too much too soon I wanted more room  
To please my restless youth  
Now all this peace  
I can't feel your bliss  
You treated me so kind, you were all mine  
And I just walked away_

_True love comes once in a lifetime  
And if it's true then you'll be back in mine_

Hours later, Frisco still wasn't any further along in his paperwork. In fact, he hadn't done anything. His files were still in the file boxes and his laptop still in the bag, downstairs in the living room while he spent the afternoon in his ex-wife's bed. Not conductive to getting any work done, but it was a nice way to spend his first afternoon back in Port Charles. His first afternoon back home. 

God, that woman could still make his resolve melt like no other. He'd planned on romancing her, serenading her, winning her heart the way he had so many years ago. Convincing her he could be the man she wanted and the husband she needed. Not jumping in the sack at the first opportunity. Five minutes in her house and he couldn't keep his hands off of her. Okay, it was more than five minutes, but it still wasn't long before he'd given in and kissed her. Next thing he knew, they were lip-locked and he was a goner. She'd pulled him upstairs, clothes came off and they were in each other's arms. Just like old times. Despite the fact they'd been divorced for years and hadn't been together since just after Georgie was born. He felt good, hopeful. For once he felt like he'd made the right decision.

He glanced at the clock. It was almost 3 o'clock. They should be getting out of bed. The girls would be getting out of school soon and probably wouldn't react well to finding him in bed with their mother, even in the best of circumstances.

"Baby?" He nudged his sleeping wife. "The girls will be home soon. We need to be getting cleaned up."

"Five more minutes," she grunted.

"Fine, you can sleep. I'm going to take a shower. I don't want to see Maxie's reaction when she gets home and finds us in bed together."

He got up and walked into the bathroom. He stepped into the shower and turned on the water, letting the warming water stream over his body. Man, this felt good, being home, being back in the arms he belonged in. He was incredibly stupid for ever leaving the woman that held his heart. He wouldn't let her get away this time.

A cold blast of air blew through the building steam. Frisco turned, knowing he'd find the lady of his heart standing there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and feverishly kissed him. They let the passion overtake them again.

~*~

Frisco sighed, finally able to finish the report he was working on. One down, too many left to go. He and Felicia could've taken their time earlier; the girls ended up hanging out with Lucas at Kelly's all afternoon and didn't get back until dinner. A dinner that ended up being pizza, thanks to another heated necking session with Felicia - unplanned of course, but definitely appreciated - that resulted in whatever she'd made being burnt to a crisp. 

He could hear Felicia in the kitchen chatting with Anna on the phone for over an hour now, probably talking about him. Lord knows Anna would have plenty to say about him. To him as well, if she ever got the chance. And God willing, Frisco hoped his old friend wouldn't get the chance any time soon. The girls were in the living room doing their homework, between fights over the TV. Georgie had actually been happy to see him and even happier to hear he was coming home. Maxie had plastered on a smile for her sister's sake, but he could see the anger in her eyes. He'd just have to wait for her attack to come next time they were alone.

His cell phone rang, starling him out of his thoughts. He glanced quickly at the display before answering. Sean Donely. Great. "Tiffany's letting you work this late, Sean?"

"Only because you left a cryptic message at 4am and disappeared. I've been trying to get a hold of you since I got into the office this morning. Tiff's been worrying her pretty little head off about you all evening."

"Sorry, Sean. My battery was running low so I had my phone off. I thought you'd understand my message. I just wanted to get out of my office for awhile. I was going stir crazy."

"Where are you?"

"Felicia's. I figured I could do my paperwork here just as easily as at the office. Plus, the view's much nicer," he answered, seeing Felicia standing in the kitchen doorway. 

"You were going to be home in two weeks."

"Couldn't wait that long."

He could almost hear Sean thinking. "How are you doing, Andrew?"

Frisco rolled his eyes. Sean meant well, but he'd taken to using his real name when he was concerned and the younger agent hated it. "I'm good, Sean, really. Everything's fine."

"Have you talked to Gail yet?"

"I've only been in town a few hours! Can't I visit with my family first?"

"Andrew, you promised. We have a deal."

"I haven't forgotten our deal, okay? I don't want to make plans until my promotion becomes official, just in case it falls through."

"It won't."

"That's what you said last time." He smiled at Felicia when sat down across the table. "I have faith in you, Sean; I'd rather play it safe. Just in case."

He chuckled, hearing Tiffany badgering her husband through the phone. "Alright, alright. Tiff wants to talk to you."

Frisco closed his eyes, knowing what was coming. "Okay," he moaned.

"Frisco Jones, don't you ever do that to me again!" the blonde scolded him.

"Hey, it's not my fault Sean can't understand a simple message!"

"Oh, don't give me that! You should've checked in with us!" She calmed down some, knowing her friend was alright. "We worry about you. You know that."

"I won't do it again. I'll call every five minutes, okay?" An irritated groan came through the phone. "I'm sorry, Tiffany. I didn't mean to worry you. Forgive me?"

A drawn out sigh came through the phone. "I guess so. Just don't do it again."

He smiled mischievously, even though Tiffany couldn't see it. "I promise."

"So, how was your homecoming? As bad as you expected it to be?"

"No, it wasn't. Felicia, Tony and Georgie looked genuinely happy to see me." Felicia raised a curious eyebrow.

"Maxie didn't?"

"No, but she didn't immediately rail into me. I guess that's positive."

"See? I told you it would be okay. You mind if I chat with Felicia for a bit?"

He handed the small phone to his ex-wife. "Tiffany wants to talk to you."

He tried to not listen to the two women talk, and instead began to file away the papers. He'd completely forgotten to call Sean. The Donelys were good friends and he knew how much they worried about him after he'd… done something he didn't want to remember right now. He was much too content. He'd make it up to Sean and Tiffany later.

"So what was that about?" Felicia asked, ending the call and pushing the phone back to his side of the table.

Frisco shrugged. "Apparently, Sean doesn't understand simple phone messages." 

"Do Sean and Tiffany usually get worried when they haven't heard from you in a few hours?"

He hesitated a moment before answering her, debating what exactly to say. "Sometimes," he said softly.

"Why?"

"Some stuff happened a while back, so they get worried about me sometimes," he answered, shrugging again, trying to make light of the situation.

"What happened?" she asked, her curiosity now thoroughly piqued.

"What is this? Twenty questions?"

"Fine. Don't tell me."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

"You're impossible."

"You're one to talk!"

"You done with your paperwork?"

He sighed tiredly. "This case, yes."

"When is this promotion supposed to be official?"

"I have to meet with Sean and the Assistant Directors in two weeks." He ran a hand through his short hair and continued to explain. "Last time I was reassigned to Port Charles, the higher ups found me a 'more appropriate' assignment. Sean promised me that wouldn't happen this time. Can't help being a little wary."

"What deal did you have to make with him?"

He looked at her and frowned. "It's personal."

"My, my, my. Haven't we become secretive?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Look, I'm tired. I haven't been getting much sleep. I think I'm just going to go to bed since I'm at a stopping point."

She looked hurt. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Good night, Princess," he said, softly kissing her cheek and heading upstairs.  



	4. Chapter 4

Author notes: No lyrics this time. Thanks, goblz! Yes, Gail is Gail Baldwin. And you won't have to wait to see why he needs a psychiatrist....  
  


Frisco was being dragged down a hallway. He wondered briefly what they would do to him today. A beating? The water tank? Shock treatment, maybe? No, that was yesterday. Or was that the day before? The days all seemed to run together anymore. Same old dank, dark, dirty interrogation room every day. Same old mean, ugly, smelly guards. Same old questions he wasn't going to answer. Not that he could. He didn't have the answers they wanted. Like he knew anything about what was going on inside the Pentagon. 

Finally reaching his torture chamber, he was thrown against the table. He was violently yanked onto the moist, gritty surface and tied down. Most unsanitary, he'd informed them once. And received quite a beating for it. He tried to lift his head, see what they were planning, but it was painfully slammed back down on the table. 

His tormentors drew closer to him. He vaguely heard voices speaking to him, but he was focused on the snakes the younger of the soldiers held. Egyptian asps, if he wasn't mistaken. Quite poisonous, he'd been warned when he first arrived in Cairo. 

Another young soldier approached him from the other side carrying a covered box. The box was tilted and the cover momentarily removed to reveal its contents. Spiders. Hundreds of spiders. Crawling all over each other in a vain attempt to escape their own imprisonment. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck… He was terrified of spiders. Ever since Tony's pet tarantula had bitten him when he was four. And these guys were going to let a box of pissed off spiders loose on him if he didn't give them the answers they wanted. Answers he didn't even have. Oh God, he shouldn't have ever left Port Charles…

He felt small arms tightening around him, a soft feminine voice calling to him. He awoke with a start and drew his gun from underneath the pillow.

"Daddy?"

He felt cold hands touch his face, drawing his gaze to hers. "Daddy, it's just me," Georgie said softly. The young girl sounded all too knowing for her age. 

He looked around the room, still distressed, looking for something to ground him in reality. In the doorway were Felicia and Maxie, watching with confusion and concern. 

"You were screaming, Frisco," Felicia told him. 

"I… I… I must've been having a nightmare," he confessed, visibly shaken.

Georgie hugged him. "Some nightmare. Do you mind putting your gun away?"

"Huh?"

"This gun." She touched the weapon he still held in a death grip, aimed at her chest. "You're home, Dad. You don't need it."

"Uh, yeah." He shakily put it in the nightstand drawer. It was just a nightmare, he reminded himself. Only a nightmare. He smiled uneasily at his younger daughter. He'd scared both girls and Felicia. Not good. "I'm okay now. Why don't you girls go back to bed, hmm?"

Georgie nodded, still worried, but followed her sister out of the room. Frisco left and headed towards the kitchen, without a glace at his ex-wife. He had to get away from them; he had to have a drink, a hit, something to stop this typhoon of horrific memories…

"Frisco?"

"Yeah?" he asked, trying to hide the fear that was washing over him. Trying desperately to hold on to reality.

She followed him into the kitchen, being sure to block his exit. "Is that why you haven't been getting much sleep?"

He turned to face her in the darkness. He could see her through the beams of moonlight that filtered in from the window. Rumpled clothes, bed-hair and obviously sleepy, she was still beautiful. The concern in her eyes tugged at his heart. "No, I've had myself buried in paperwork the last few days. I have to have it done before I meet with Sean."

"You have nightmares often?" she asked pointedly, her tired eyes not moving from his.

"Sometimes." Almost every night, he admitted silently.

"Do you always wake up so confused?"

"No." Usually it's worse, he almost told her, but didn't want to worry her. He'd have his own place soon. She didn't need to know what happened. She wouldn't want him if she knew the truth.

"Put that gun somewhere not so convenient. You could've shot Georgie." Her tone was clear. It wasn't a request; it was an order.

"Yes, ma'am."

She crossed her arms angrily. "Don't mock me, Frisco. You had me scared to death. First you were screaming some crazy stuff about spiders and snakes, you were thrashing around on the bed like you were fighting something, you woke up not knowing where you were, then pointed a cocked and loaded pistol at our 12-year-old daughter." She walked closer to him, their faces only inches apart. "What's going on with you?" she asked softly. "I'm worried about you." 

"There's nothing to be worried about, baby. I'm fine," he assured her, pulling her into his arms. She didn't look convinced. "It was just a nightmare."

"You want to tell me about it?" she asked, taking him by the hand and pulling him back into the living room to the sofa.

"No."

"They aren't just nightmares, are they? Whatever you're dreaming about, it actually happened." He didn't answer her. "Frisco, talk to me. Please," she pleaded.

He stood up and began to pace, shaking his head frantically. "No, I don't want to. I can't."

"I don't care if it's classified, Frisco. It's bothering you. You need to talk about it."

"I can't!"

"You almost shot Georgie tonight! What happens next time, huh? You might really shoot one of us!"

"I can't, Felicia! I can't do this!" He ran his hands through his hair. He hadn't intended on yelling. "Just drop it, okay?"

"No, I'm not going to drop it!" She'd never seen her ex-husband so distraught and it bothered her. She threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. I'll drop it." She walked to the stairs, and then stopped. "Maybe you should find somewhere else to stay, Frisco."

He watched her walk back upstairs. She was right. He'd endangered the girls. He easily could've shot his little girl. The one that liked him, at that. Some father he'd become. Giving up on sleep, he decided to go back to his paperwork. He'd check into the Port Charles Hotel and start looking for a new place tomorrow. God, he wanted a drink. Badly. 

Sean. He should call Sean. He glanced at the clock. The older agent would probably still be up. He debated with himself. He didn't want to make the call. It made him feel so… weak. But Sean and Tiffany both would kill him if he didn't. And odds were Felicia would call them tomorrow to find out what was going on. She wouldn't just let this go. Sighing, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

"Sean, it's Frisco. Something happened tonight. I really want a drink."

~*~

Frisco ran his hands over his tired face. Hours of doing nothing but paperwork had exhausted him. The girls would be gone soon, then he could get some sleep. Maybe he'd take those pills Rita had given him. A nice, dreamless, drug-induced sleep would be nice. But for now, he still had work to do.

He poured himself a cup of coffee as Maxie walked into the kitchen, dressed for school. "Morning, pumpkin."

She looked surprised, almost scared. "Morning, Dad. How do you sleep last night?"

"Didn't. Went back to my paperwork after you and your sister went back to bed." She didn't answer. He noticed she was staring at his scarred chest. She reached out to touch one of the scars, but pulled her hand back. "I got shot last year in Afghanistan."

Fear flickered in her eyes. "The Taliban? You were involved in that?"

He grinned at his daughter. "I could tell you but I'd have to kill you."

She rolled her eyes. "Right, Dad."

"I was investigating al-Qaida before the attacks. I don't know what happened, but shortly after the attacks, they found out I was a spy and executed me by firing squad."

"You're not dead," she said in a quiet, fearful voice.

"I wasn't a high priority. They were trying to get out of the country before the US retaliated. Iran also had a guy inside. He made sure I was taken care of until WSB Medical could get to me. You want cereal for breakfast?"

She was just staring at him, in disbelief. "How can you act like it's nothing?"   
  
"It's my job."

"So? You could've died!"

"Not the first time and it won't be the last." He shrugged. "It's just part of the job."

"Why do you do it if you know sooner or later you'll be killed?" she asked angrily, her fear gone.

He flashed her his trademark boyish grin. "So the world's a little safer for my girls." 

"Yeah, right," she snorted, grabbing a banana and her backpack. "I gotta get to school. Later, Dad."

"Have a nice day," he replied cheerily.

Maxie just rolled her eyes and left. Frisco could hear Felicia yelling at Georgie to get moving. He walked into the living room and silently watched as his wife shuffled their girls out the door. Ex-wife, he reminded himself.

Returning to the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee and went back to work. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own GH or it's characters, nor am I making any money off this (if I was, I wouldn't be posting here).  
  
Author's note: :Lyrics are "Tomorrow Never Dies" by Sheryl Crow. (Bond, Frisco, it works... ;-))  
  


_Darling you've won, it's no fun  
Martinis, girls, and of guns  
It's murder on our love affair  
But you bet your life every night  
While you chase the morning light  
You're not the only spy out there _

"So, that's what mornings are like in the Jones household," Frisco said as soon as he heard Felicia grunt and the front door slam.

"Oh, shut up. I don't want to talk to you."

"Can't you just feel the love," he teased.

"This is your fault," she snapped, pointing a finger at him.

Frisco's face scrunched in confusion. "What'd I do?"

"You came back," she said exasperatedly. "I had a nice little argument with Maxie because of you, thank you very much." She threw her purse in a chair angrily.

"It'll blow over."

"Frisco Jones, the expert parent. Please, bless me with your vast knowledge, since you know so much." She rolled her eyes and yanked off her coat, tossing it somewhere in the vicinity of the chair. 

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on Frisco. Granted, he hadn't been around. But he understood Maxie. She was hurt and lashing out at her parents. Completely normal. It didn't just start when he walked through the door of Kelly's yesterday. "She's fifteen. What do you expect? I fought with my dad all the time when I was that age."

"I don't want to hear it, Frisco. I want you to leave."

He sighed defeatedly. He had hoped she'd change her mind, but he'd expected this since last night. "Fine. I'll check into a hotel this afternoon."

"No. Now," she ordered, getting in his face.

"Oh Felicia, come on! Just because of some little spat?"

"Spat? She's scared of you! I'm scared of you!"

That took Frisco by surprise. "Why are you scared of me?"

"You ask me that after last night? After you pointed a gun at our daughter?"

Shit. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt his family, to make them scared of him. "I'm sorry for that! But why does that mean I have to leave now?"

Felicia had her hands on her hips. She was angry, angrier than Frisco had seen her for a long time, but she was calm and unwavering, so unlike the Felicia he knew. "Because I don't want you here, Frisco."

Rather than argue with her, he simply gave up. "Fine. I'll start packing."

~*~

Felicia stood in the doorway, watching Frisco pack. They exchanged a few charged glances, but said nothing. It felt all too familiar to him.

"Haven't we been here before?" he asked, finally ending the silence.

"We were still living in the brownstone then."

"I'm still being pushed away," he said sadly.

"I never pushed you away. You left," she said, moving from the doorway. She grabbed a wadded shirt he was about to stuff in his duffel bag and folded it for him.

"You pushed me away. I left because you asked me to."

"You wanted to go. You want all that adventure and danger. You live for it, thrive on it. Me, Maxie and Georgie, we weren't enough for you."

"Says you."

"Said you, when you left and didn't come back for nearly ten years."

"After you asked me to. Next time I'll know better than listen to you."

"I can't help it if you're in denial."

"You believed it yesterday, enough to pull me into bed." She slapped him. Okay, maybe he deserved that. "Now who's in denial?"

Anger flickered in her eyes. "Get out," she ordered icily.

"My pleasure, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

"Why shouldn't I? That's what you are. Or have you forgotten that little adventure - completely your idea, I might add - in your quest to become Ms. Perfect Suburban Housewife?"

"I am not a housewife!" she yelled and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Are to," he whispered to the closed door. He was pissed off at himself. He didn't mean to start any fights, between themselves or between mother and daughter. Maybe they'd just be better off without him. Coming back was a mistake. He should've just stayed in Boston, out of everyone's lives.

No, Frisco reminded himself, closing his eyes. Running away when things got difficult was what got him in trouble in the first place. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't run away this time. That he'd stick it out and deal with his problems. He'd been in town all of 24 hours and already that promise was circling the drain. He had to stay. He had to fix this.

He stopped packing and went after Felicia. She was sitting on the sofa, her head in her hands. He took a deep breath. "I want to stay, Felicia."

"So?"

"I want to be close to the girls and you said yourself it would be easier for me to get my work done here. I'm sorry for what happened last night. It won't happen again."

"Oh yeah?" her voice cracked. "How can you be so sure?"

He rubbed his forehead. He didn't particularly want to do this, but it's what he had to. "I've got these pills Rita gave me..."

"Rita? Your stepmother Rita? You still talk to her?"

"I see her around. She works for WSB Medical," he told her shrugging. "Anyway, she gave me some pills to help me sleep. I hate how they make me feel, so I don't take them. They make me groggy and I sleep for at least 8 hours, which hasn't exactly been an option lately. But I don't wake up with the nightmares." He paused and sat on the arm of the chair near her. "It'll make getting my paperwork done a little harder, but I'll take them if it means I can stay."  
  
"You don't wake up waving guns with the pills?" He shook his head and she ran a hand through her blond hair, debating her answer. She didn't really want him to leave. "Alright, you can stay. But only if you take the pills. If you pull a gun on any of us again, you're gone. Deal?"

He grinned. "Deal. Now, I better get back to work since I'm now losing half a day."

"Half a day? How much have you been sleeping?"

"Two, maybe three hours a night usually. Night before last I didn't sleep at all, guess that's why I slept so long last night."

She looked at him in confusion. "Slept so long? You slept for like five hours!"

"That's a lot for me."

"Since when? You used to sleep like a log."

"Stuff happens. I have nightmares sometimes and I don't sleep well. It's no big deal," he told her, shrugging.

"I think it's a big deal!" Felicia said, raising her voice again. "What happened? You end up in some foreign prison again?"

"A couple. They made that Bulgarian prison seem like the Plaza."

"Maxie said something about Afghanistan. You were shot."

Frisco ran his hand thoughtlessly over his scars. "I was executed. At least that's what the Bureau's letting the terrorists of the world think."

"How did you escape?"

"I didn't. Iranian intelligence got me out. I barely survived. Rita told me the medics had actually declared me dead until she and Jeff got there and resuscitated me."

"Jeff?"

"Jeff Webber. Liz's father. He works for WSB Medical, too. Good doctor. The two of them have patched me up more than once."

Felicia shook her head. "I can't believe you're still talking to Rita."

He chuckled. "We have an uneasy truce. She's saved my life too many times for me to completely hate her."

"Did they torture you?"

"No. They were more concerned with getting away. I was caught transmitting their location to the CIA. They put me in front of a firing squad. I woke up in Tehran a few weeks later. The Iranian intelligence agents involved agreed not to mention that I was still alive when the WSB got to me."

"Why?"

"al-Qaida would come after me. I'd already asked for reassignment back to Port Charles. It was just better to let them think I was out of the picture."

"So what have you been working on if you haven't been in the Middle East?"

"Some drugs and arms, but mostly counter-terrorism here in the States. I know more about Middle Eastern terrorist groups than most of the bozos over here."

"And they just let you come back? I would think you'd be more useful in Washington right now."

"They don't need me all the time for that. I'm not the only expert out there. I think the Bureau will have me consulting on cases, but they need someone good here in Port Charles and I keep asking for the job. Plus, it helps that the director's a buddy of mine. Sean understood I wanted to come home."

"But you had to make a deal to come home."

The phone call from Sean, Frisco recalled. "Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it."

"That's what you said last night. Maybe you need to start talking about this stuff. It's tearing you up."

"So Tiff keeps telling me." He saw her pleading eyes. He had to tell her at least part of the truth. "I was in an Iraqi prison when you married Mac. They tortured me for months. That's where part of the nightmares come from. When I got out, I found out you were married." He stood and turned away from his love. He didn't want to see her disappointment. "I… I couldn't handle it. It was all too much to take at once. I was drinking. I was a mess for a long time. It almost cost me my career. I'd probably still be drowning myself in a bottle if Sean and Tiffany hadn't forced me to get help. It was hard to get sober. I've been living with them, so they could keep an eye on me, although they'd never admit to that. That's why they got so worried about me yesterday. I love 'em, but I haven't been watched over this much since junior high."

Felicia leaned back in the sofa and crossed her arms. "What was the deal? You stay sober and Sean lets you come home?"

"Not exactly, but something like that. I have to stay sober or I go back to Boston. I'm not sure Sean trusts me here by myself."

"Oh, Frisco," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Why couldn't you tell me this last night?"

"I didn't want you to be disappointed in me. Besides, I don't like to talk about it. I've come a long way from where I was a couple years ago."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed, but you've been through some terrible things. It's understandable to turn to alcohol after something like that. You've pulled your life back together. That's something to be proud of."

"I haven't pulled my life together. That's why I came home. It's too easy to pretend everything's okay being a field agent. I was too focused half the time to think about anything but the mission. I was just barely getting through the down times."

Felicia turned him to face her, cupping his face in her hands. "You have pulled yourself together, otherwise you wouldn't be here. You'd still be running away from everything."

He smiled weakly and brushed his lips across hers. "Maybe."

  



	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Lyrics are "On Borrowed Time" by Sheryl Crow. 

Goblz- thanks! I'm glad you and your "evil" friend ;-) are enjoying the story! There's plenty more in store for Frisco! (I actually just finished chapter 25.)

_Someone's praying  
Praying for your life  
For a miracle or sign  
Precious these days  
Living our ways  
On borrowed time_

_I'll be waiting  
Waiting in the night  
For a message, for a sign  
Precious there days  
Living our ways  
On borrowed time _

Frisco picked up a cheese fry, wondering to himself why he let his brother talk him into ordering them. When Tony asked him to dinner, he imagined the Port Charles Grille or Kelly's, not Luke's Place.

"Don't like the cheese fries?" Tony asked, grabbing himself a couple off Frisco's plate.

"It's been a while since I've had bar food," he told his older brother, pushing the plate towards him.

"Go all first class on me, little brother?"

Frisco just smirked. Luke walked over to their table and slapped the spy on the back, causing Frisco to grimace.

"Long time no see, secret agent man."

"How's the diamond business, Luke?"

Luke feigned offense. "Why Agent Jones, I don't know what your talking about." Frisco raised a skeptical eyebrow. Luke just shrugged, taking a seat. "Taking a break from the business, since my last buyer held my kid hostage."

"That would definitely be discouraging. How is Lucky?"

"Alright. Better than me, actually. He's gonna be a college boy soon."

"A Spencer going to college? Isn't there a rule against that?"

Luke chuckled. "We Spencers don't follow the rules," he said, a playful gleam in his usually dull eyes. "So tell me secret agent man, what have you been up to? Still off saving the world?"

Frisco nodded. "One bad guy at a time. I'm up to my eyeballs in paperwork at the moment and I haven't been getting much done since I came home. At the rate I'm going, I'm never going to get it done."

"I'm sure the Bureau will give you a reprieve. I hear Donely is in charge again."

"Believe me, Sean's not going to cut me any slack. He keeps telling me I should've been doing it all along, instead of constantly going out on missions."

Luke slapped the table in mock indignation. "Well, somebody's gotta do the dirty work."

"That's what I said, but he's not buying it. It has to be done before I go back to Boston in two weeks."

"Well, good luck. Guess you'll be having a few sleepless nights." Luke started to stand. "You want a drink?"

"Just another soda. Thanks."

"Soda?" he asked, sitting back down. "Come on man, I've got a great bottle of scotch up in my office. Some nice cigars, too."

Frisco leaned closer, interested. "Cuban?"

"Nothin' but," Luke answered, grinning conspiratorially.

Frisco sat back in his chair. "I'll take the cigar, but I'll pass on the scotch."

Before Luke could protest, he was called back to the bar. "Duty calls. I'll be right back," he said tiredly.

"You really should try the scotch. It's good stuff," Tony told his brother, after Luke left the table.

The younger Jones frowned. "I'm happy with my Dr. Pepper."

Tony watched his brother suspiciously. Something was up and he wanted to know what it was. "When did you give up alcohol?"

"I'm on some medications that I can't drink with, okay?" he answered, stuffing a fry in his mouth.

"What are you on?"

Shrugging, he figured it was best just to tell him the truth. "Sleeping pills, anti-depressants, an anti-psychotic, and occasionally pain killers. I'm a regular walking pharmacy these days."

Tony was concerned. As a doctor, he knew the uses of those types of drugs. "Psychiatric drugs? What happened?"

Frisco rolled his eyes, regretting saying anything at all to his overprotective older brother. He should've just said allergies. "Tony, it's nothing to be worried about, okay? I just needed some help dealing with some stuff."

"If that's all, then why the drugs? Therapy would be more effective."

"Rita thought it was best I go on the drugs while I was dealing with everything. It's just short term."

"Rita? Rita Lloyd? Our stepmother? Since when did you take her medical advice? You hate her."

"She works for WSB Medical. Come on, Tony, you know what my job's like. I can't just take off to go to therapy and going on psych leave would kill my career. Rita thought the drugs would help get me through things in the meantime."

"Are you going to go to therapy now that you've got a desk job?"

"Yes. Sean's not giving me any choice. I'm going to give Gail Baldwin a call."

"You haven't yet?"

"No," Frisco shook his head, "not until I'm officially in the position."

"You're not now?"

"No. I have to get all this paperwork done, then I have to meet with the higher ups." Frisco leaned closer to his brother. "Look Tony, I'll be okay. Just back off. I don't need you hovering over me."

Tony sighed impatiently. If there was one thing Frisco was good at, it was getting underneath his older brother's skin. "No, you look. You're my kid brother. You've spent most of your life getting into trouble and I've spent most of your life trying to help you out of trouble. That's not going to change just because you think you're some kind of superhero."

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Superhero? I have never thought of myself as a superhero!"

"What about the time you thought you were Superman and jumped off the porch and broke your arm?"

"I was seven and you thought it was pretty damn funny!"

"Still is!" Tony laughed despite himself. This was serious, but when was the last time he'd been able to have a completely serious conversation with his brother? "I worry about you, Andy. It doesn't help any when you tell me you're on something like anti-psychotics. I just want to see you happy and safe."

Frisco looked skeptical. "Happy and safe? Do those words belong together in a sentence with me?"

"Oh, of course. I forgot who I was talking to for a moment."

They fell into an awkward silence, neither really knowing what to say. "I appreciate your concern, Tony, but I'm okay. Really."

"You want to tell what happened that you couldn't handle?"

Felicia knew, there was no point hiding it from Tony. He ran a hand through his hair. "I was held prisoner by the Iraqis for months. I was tortured. I came back only to find out Felicia had actually married Mac. I was upset. I agreed to take a deep cover assignment in Afghanistan."

"The Taliban?"

"al-Qaida. I was caught and executed last year. Rita helped save my life." He shook his head. "Well, there's the last five years of my life summed up in thirty seconds."

Tony took a drink of his beer. "I can sum up my last five years in thirty seconds and still have time to spare."

"Oh yeah?" 

"I got off the kidnapping charges with community service. I worked and I brought Stavros Cassadine back from the dead."

"Wow. What an eventful life you lead," Frisco said blandly.

"Sure compared to you, Mr. Super Spy."

Frisco leaned towards his brother, not quite believing Tony had that little of a social life. "Come on, haven't you even dated?"

"A little. There was Tammy, the manager at Kelly's, but that didn't last long. Then there's Amy…"

"What?" He wasn't quite sure he heard that correctly. Surely Felicia would've known… "You're dating Amy Vining? And the whole world doesn't know about it?"

"Hell, no one at the hospital even knows about it. She's pretty tight lipped when it comes to her own life."

Frisco laughed. "Yeah, I bet! Amy and tight lipped. Now there's an oxymoron if I ever heard one."

"Yeah. Well, what about you? I doubt you've only been pining over Felicia all these years."

Frisco shrugged. It hadn't taken long for him to realize why James Bond never had a girlfriend in any of the 007 movies. Spying wasn't conductive to relationships. And it didn't help that he actually had been pining over Felicia all these years. "No one worth mentioning. Mostly one night stands."

"No one worth mentioning? In all of these years, absolutely no one worth mentioning? I don't buy it. Ever since you discovered girls, you've always had at least one female hanging around."

Frisco frowned. "Well, there was Skye, but that's not a story I'm exactly proud of."

"So, what happened? Was she cute?"

"Beautiful, but a bitch. Her father actually paid me off to get rid of me."

"You're kidding me!"

"No, I'm serious. He offered me fifty grand to leave her."

"What'd you do?"

"Took the money. Skye invested it and made us a whole lot more."

"You took the money? I don't believe you!"

"She told me to. We'd already realized the whole thing was a mistake. We split the money and I haven't seen her since."

"How long did it last?"

"A whole excruciating month."

"A month? That's it? That's the big romance? How'd you two meet?"

"In Vegas. She was a lounge singer. We were both on a bit of bender. The whole first two weeks were kinda a blur. She barely remembered anything at all. We were drunk most of the time."

"Drunk with a hot chick in Vegas…" Tony closed his eyes, having some idea what happened. "Please tell me this isn't heading where I think it's heading."

"It is. Came as quite the shock to us too when we finally sobered up. We tried to make it work, but we drove each other nuts. We decided to end it, then Adam, her father, showed up and offered me the money."

"I still can't believe you took the money," Tony said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It was Skye's idea. We were already over; it's not like I did what he wanted. We got paid for something we had already done."

"So, was this bender before or after Iraq?"

"Before. I was on a self-pity streak, waiting for an assignment. Going to Vegas was just a bad idea. One of many bad ideas."

"You go on these benders a lot?"

Frisco sighed, growing pissed off at his brother's overprotectiveness. "Stop it, Tony. I know what you're doing."

"Just answer the question."

He gripped his glass so tightly his knuckles turned white. He breathed deeply, trying to control his rising anger. This was just his brother, he told himself. "No. I don't usually have that much down time. And benders aren't exactly appropriate mission behavior."

"So you're not an alcoholic?"

"Why the fuck are you asking me that? I come home a little screwed up and automatically that makes me a drunk?" He stood up, no longer able to control his feelings, nor did he want to. "Do you see me drinking? No! I turned down booze numerous times from you and Luke tonight. I am not an alcoholic!"

Tony looked shocked. Frisco had always had a temper, but not this bad. "That's not what you told Felicia," he said in a small voice.

"Oh, I see! You two had a little powwow without inviting me! I'm touched! Any other revelations I should be aware of?"

"You want to tell me what happened last night? She was a little fuzzy on the details."

"I had a nightmare. That's all. A nightmare. You know, those things I had for two years after Juanita bit me."

Tony frowned. Frisco hadn't mentioned that in years. "I'm sorry Juanita bit you, but you shouldn't have been bothering her. I told you a hundred times to leave her alone."

"You dared me to lie there while you let your pet tarantula crawl on me!"

"You were the one who started screaming and poking her! She was scared!"

"I was four, Tony!" He paused, looking around. They were drawing some attention, but he really didn't care. "Look, I drank. A lot. I admit that. But I am not an alcoholic, alright?"

"Fine," Tony answered, but Frisco knew what was going through his mind. You're in denial, his older brother was thinking.

Frisco absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna go before this gets any uglier. See ya later, Tony." He threw on his coat as he left the club.

Seeing him Luke walked over from the bar. "Hey, Doc-ex-bro-in-law! What bug got up his butt already?"

~*~

Frisco slammed the door, not caring if he woke the entire neighborhood. He was pissed off. Really pissed off. He expected Felicia would say something to Tony. He'd expected it. But he hadn't expected to be so angry about it.

He wanted to break something. He'd driven around for hours after leaving Luke's, hoping to calm down. Didn't happen. All it did was give him time to think, making him angrier. 

They had no right to talk about him behind his back. He wasn't an alcoholic. He was okay. Well, he wasn't okay per say, but he was going to be. He didn't need them telling him what to feel, what to do. He didn't need this right now. He didn't need them.

"Frisco?"

He heard his ex-wife's sleepy voice and chose to ignore it as he stormed into the kitchen. He didn't want to deal with her. He was just going to go back to work.

Shit. He couldn't work. He had to take his pills. He had to go to bed. Oh well. He was too wired to get anything done anyway. He'd get a good night's sleep and call to Sean tomorrow, when he wasn't so pissed off. Hell, maybe he'd go ahead and make an appointment to see Gail. It would be nice to have someone to talk to who couldn't talk to anyone else. No more of this behind his back bullshit. They didn't need to know everything anyway. Not like they cared enough to ask when he actually was going through any of it. He would be okay on his own. He'd been alone most of his life. He could handle alone.

"Frisco?"

She was standing in the doorway now, but he still didn't answer her. He didn't want to say anything to her. He poured himself a glass of water and downed it in one drink. 

"Are you even going to answer me?"

He threw the empty plastic glass in the sink. He walked out of the room without bothering to look at her. Fuck her. He was going to go upstairs, take his sleeping pills and go to sleep.

"Frisco!" She grabbed his arm as she spoke.

He yanked his arm away. "I've got to take my pills."

"What's wrong?"

Their faces were only inches apart. "Why don't you just ask Tony? Compare notes on the alcoholic nutcase I've become." He continued toward the stairs.

"We're just concerned about you," she said from behind him.

"I don't need your concern. I do just fine on my own."

"You are not fine, Frisco. You told me yourself you were an alcoholic."

"No," he said, turning to face her again. "I said I drank. I didn't say I was an alcoholic. And I don't appreciate being talked about behind my back. Now, I'm going to bed." He stomped up the stairs and slammed the guest room door.

Felicia stared at the empty staircase, wondering where the man she loved had gone.  



	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Lyrics are "Silent Legacy" by Melissa Etheridge.   


Goblz- thanks as always! And I've got plenty of history to deal with with Frisco!   


Ismile- thanks! Have you been reading this at SoapZone? No, Tony & Bobbie aren't together, Tony's with Amy. ;) As far as Tony & Bobbie getting back together at some point, I haven't made up my mind what I'm going to do with Tony yet (away from his pesky kid brother, that is), so it's a possibility, but not in the immediate future.  


  
  


_And as you pray in your darkness  
For wings to set you free  
You are bound to your silent legacy _

For a week straight, Frisco hardly left the guest bedroom. Work, eat, work, drink, work, sleep, work. Nothing else. He didn't take the pills, resorting to sleeping restlessly during the day when no one was home. He needed to get this work done. The sooner it was done, the sooner he could move on. The sooner he could get on with his life.

There was one thing he'd done that wasn't work. He'd called a realtor to get started on looking for someplace to live. Georgie had gotten all excited about it and offered to help. Well, it was more like she took over. She'd told him that she and Maxie would look at houses after school so he wouldn't have to stop working. Normally he would've turned her down and offer to let her go with him, but he knew that determined look. She was so much like her mother. Like Felicia, Georgie had made up her mind and there was no changing it. End of story.

Looking at the clock, it was close to dinnertime. Felicia was in the kitchen cooking. The girls would be back from house hunting any minute. And Mac would be over soon to pick up the report he was still working on.

Sean had passed the paperwork on a couple of Frisco's later cases to lower agents. In exchange, Frisco had to pull together some information Mac had asked for. It made sense that he should do it. He was the new Bureau chief for the region, so he was going to have to work with Mac. But he was also the closest terrorism expert, which is what the police commissioner needed at the moment. Just what Frisco wanted to deal with right off the bat. Plus, the Aussie had always gotten on his nerves.

A soft knock on the door disturbed his thoughts. "Come in."

Felicia's smiling face popped in through the doorway. "Dinner's ready, if you're hungry, and the girls are home. Georgie says they found a townhouse that would be perfect for you."

"Yeah?"

"She said it had all sorts of hidden stuff and a security system, like it was already set up for a spy."

Felicia's eyes gleamed amusingly. Frisco thought for a moment before figuring out why. "Robert's old place?" She nodded her head. "Probably needs to be rewired, a new security system."

"You coming down to dinner?" she asked, slipping into the room.

He looked around at the papers he had spread out. "Yeah, I'll be down when Mac gets here. I've got to have this report ready for him."

"Okay," she answered, disappointment in her voice. She slipped back out of the room, taking a last concerned look at her ex-husband before closing the door.

Felicia hadn't been gone more than five minutes before Frisco heard a knock at the door again. "Yeah?"

Mac walked in, carrying a box of files. "I brought the files Sean asked me to. I brought the Corinthos files for you as well."

"Oh, thanks," he said, taking the box and setting it on the bed. 

Mac pulled out the files Frisco needed. "Here, these are the surveillance reports. You really think we've got a terror cell in Port Charles?"

"It's a possibility," Frisco said with a shrug. "I haven't finished the report yet."

"That's fine. Why don't you give me the gist of it after dinner and give me the report tomorrow. Make it long. It'll give Baldwin something to do away from police business and out of my hair."

"That bad?" The pained look on Mac's face was answer enough. "I can't believe Scott Baldwin was elected DA."

"Tell me about it. I would've rather had Alexis Davis. She knows how to stay within the law."

"Are you keeping a record of everything Scott's doing? It might help later on." 

"I'll keep that in mind."

Georgie interrupted. "Dad and Dad? Are you guys coming? We're hungry!" she whined, hanging on the doorknob.

"Yeah, We're coming," Frisco answered wearily.

~*~

Dinner was awkward, with both Mac and Frisco at the table. Neither man held any love for the other, but both respected the other's position in the girls' lives. It was an unspoken truce. There was no reason to make the girls feel like they had to choose between them. Frankly, Frisco was grateful that the girls had a stepparent that loved them like Mac did. Light years better than Rita had been.

Frisco and Mac were now back upstairs going over files. Mac was reading what Frisco had written so far and Frisco was going over the PCPD's files. The surveillance reports held few surprises.

"Congratulations, Mac. You've officially got yourself a terror cell."

"Don't I feel special," Mac replied humorlessly, looking up from Frisco's laptop. "What makes you think that?"

"A few familiar faces in the surveillance photos. You'd be surprised how many terrorists are creatures of habit. They're easy to spot once you know what to look for."

"Have any idea what they could be planning to attack in Port Charles?"

Frisco shrugged. "Port Charles is becoming a smuggling hub. Drugs, arms, you name it. One stop shopping. They're probably just using this as a base for their organization."

"al-Qaida?"

"Not likely, but these guys don't mind if al-Qaida gets the credit. The guys I recognize are Iraqi military. Covert ops. We don't know if they're acting independently or not. I'll have to contact my sources in Iran. They'd have a better idea."

"This sounds like it's more up your alley. What does the PCPD need to do?"

"Keep looking out for suspicious behavior. These guys know what they're doing. Odds are, they'll practice a bit here, see where they can get with explosives and stuff like that, before they head out to wherever they're planning to bomb. Make sure all of your informants know what to look for."

"Alright."

"I'm going to try to use Corinthos as an informant on this as well. He'll know what's happening on that side of the law."

Mac sighed angrily, catching the agent's attention. "You're going to ask Corinthos for help? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"Sure. We do it all the time. How do you think Luis Alcazar got off on the kidnapping charges?"

They just stared at each other for a moment. "Sonny won't go for it. He'll think it's a trick."

"I'll convince him. Give him the standard deal."

"Deal? What deal?"

Frisco put down the papers he was reading. "We don't ask what he was doing to get his information and we don't use this to convict him. No threat of prosecution based on anything that comes out of this investigation."

"Then how the hell are we supposed to convict him?"

"Everything else is still fair game, just not from this particular investigation."

"Then why did Alcazar get off?"

"He was playing a bigger role. We were using him as a front for other investigations."

"Use one bad guy to catch other bad guys."

"Believe it or not, there are people worse than Luis Alcazar."

"That makes me feel so much better."

"I know. Just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?" Frisco leaned back against the headboard. "Look, I know it's sounds horrible, but it's no different than using street dealers to catch their suppliers. It's just on a bigger scale. It's an invaluable tool to get agents on the inside in other organizations. Instant credibility."

Mac wasn't convinced. "I'll take your word for it. How do you plan to take down Sonny?"

Frisco grinned smugly, enjoying the upper hand he already had on the commissioner where Corinthos was concerned. "Already got a guy working on getting inside, thanks to his connection to Alcazar."

"Ric Lansing? Jason Morgan's attorney?"

Obviously Frisco didn't give Mac enough credit. It had taken the Aussie no time to figure it out. At least he hoped it was Mac being that good and not Lansing screwing up again. "I can't blow an agent's cover. You should know that. Just don't mention to anyone - and I mean anyone - that there's a mole in the organization. Got that?"

Mac held up his hand. "I won't even tell Robert's ghost," he promised.

Frisco chuckled. "Too late. I already told him."

Mac rolled his eyes and stood up. "Remind me not to share secrets with you. I'm going to go. I'll have Capelli start going through the files tomorrow and see if there's anything I might've overlooked."

"Okay. I'll check with my sources and see what I can find out. I'll drop the report off at the station tomorrow. Want me to take Baldwin a copy?"

"Yeah.," he said, nodding. "He'd steal mine if it got in his hands." 

"He'll be at the courthouse for the trial, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll drop by there before I stop by the station then."

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Later," Frisco said as Mac left.  



	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Ruins" by Melissa Etheridge. Another familiar face is back!

Goblz- thanks! Re: Robert's old place- remember the secret room? ;) Daydreamer299- no, you're not evil! LOL! ;) Plenty more interaction coming up!  


  


_Don't try to call  
There are some bridges that burn  
Beyond recognition beyond repair  
Don't say you've changed  
There are some forces that turn  
Beyond recollection beyond my stare  
When I feel the cold in the dark  
I know you're there _

Frisco nodded to another officer. A professional courtesy, with Frisco's WSB badge displayed prominently. It had been a long time since he'd stepped foot in a courthouse. He had been still a cop, still married to Felicia, still naïve, still happy.

The hallway outside the courtroom was full. Frisco recognized most of the people standing around. Sonny and Carly, the blonde from Kelly's, Jason, Brenda, Jerry Jacks' brother, AJ Quartermaine… The redhead AJ was talking to looked familiar. No, it couldn't be her, she couldn't be in Port Charles…

The redhead turned enough for Frisco to see her face. He couldn't believe it. She was here. In Port Charles. Not that he had bad memories of her exactly, he just never expected to see her again. He walked closer to the small group.

"Skye?"

She spun around at the sound of his voice. "Frisco?"

"It's been a long time," he said, his throat suddenly dry. He licked his lips, feeling very nervous for some reason. Skye looked equally as nervous.

"You two know each other?" AJ asked, eyeing Frisco suspiciously.

"We, uh, knew each other in Las Vegas," Skye answered.

AJ's eyes never left Frisco. "Is that so?"

"Yeah," Frisco said, resisting the sudden urge to smack him. Jealousy and AJ Quartermaine obviously didn't go well together. "Tell your parents and Lila I said hello." 

He walked away, intending to find Baldwin. Skye followed him. "Frisco?"

He stopped, turning back to her. "You're about the last person I was expecting to find in Port Charles, Skye."

"I have family here. Are you here on a case?"

"Family? What family?"

"I found out two years ago that I was adopted. Alan Quartermaine is my birth father."

Frisco laughed. He couldn't help himself. The idea of Skye Chandler as a Quartermaine was too funny for words. As if there wasn't enough trouble in that family. 

Skye frowned, putting her hands on her hips and causing Frisco laugh even harder. "You think it's funny?"

Frisco tried to hold back a smile, but failed miserably. "Yes. If they don't fight enough on their own, now they've got you. Classic."

"Gee, thanks. I feel so special." 

He crossed his arms in amusement, still chuckling. Skye, a Quartermaine… "I have no doubt you knocked Edward on his greedy ass in no time."

She smiled slyly. "Try I took over ELQ."

He was impressed. She really was a Quartermaine if she was getting involved in ELQ. "Nice move. I'm sure that drove the old man nuts. Or was he happy to have a grandchild that actually wanted the company?"

"No, he hates me," she said cheerfully. 

"How nice for you!" he replied just as sweetly.

She glanced at the floor momentarily before speaking. "You never answered my question. What brings you to Port Charles?"

She was just as beautiful as the last time he saw her. "I'm from here, remember? My daughters are here. I'm moving back," he told her, sliding his fingers over the edges of the folder in his hands anxiously. 

"Oh. No, I didn't remember." She saw people filing into the courtroom. "I need to go now. I'll see you around town then."

"Yeah, I'll see you around." 

Frisco followed Skye into the courtroom. Scott Baldwin was talking to a dark haired woman he assumed was Alexis Davis. He suddenly wished he'd actually read the Alcazar murder file a little closer.

"Baldwin? Can I see you for a sec?" he asked as he reached the two lawyers.

Scott looked him up and down arrogantly. "Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." Frisco just smiled sarcastically at him. "I believe you have something for me, Jones."

"I do." Frisco handed him the file.

"This doesn't have anything to do with my clients, does it?" Alexis asked, looking between the two men.

"No, it doesn't, counselor. I'm here merely as a courtesy." He held his hand out to her. "Special Agent Andrew Jones, World Security Bureau. But everyone calls me Frisco."

"Alexis Davis."

"Well, now that the introductions are finished," Scott interrupted, "why don't you vamoose? Go chase some terrorists or whatever it is you WSB agents do."

Frisco glared at the District Attorney. Baldwin hadn't changed a bit as far as Frisco was concerned. That nice phase was just that- a phase. Now it was over and he was back to being the Scott Baldwin everyone knew and despised. "Certainly. I don't want to spend another second in your presence, Baldwin. I might get cooties." Alexis stifled a laugh. "It was a pleasure to meet you Ms. Davis. Good luck with your case."

"Thank you. It was nice to meet you too, Agent Jones."

"Call me Frisco, please."

"Okay, Frisco."

He winked at her and turned to leave. Skye was standing a few feet behind him. He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek. "Later, Skye," he whispered in her ear. As he left, he noticed Sonny Corinthos watching him with interest. Good, very good.

~*~

The police station looked a lot different than the last time he'd seen it. Mac had mentioned that Luke had forced them into redecorating, but for some reason, he'd expected it to be the same old place he remembered.

He looked around, not quite sure if the commissioner's office would still be in the same place.

"Can I help you?" a female voice asked him from behind. He recognized the voice immediately.

"Special Agent Jones, WSB. I'm looking for Commissioner Scorpio."

Samantha Welles turned her former partner around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Frisco! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you, too, Sam. How have you been?" he asked, pulling away.

"I'm great! How's the WSB?" She was smiling brightly, still looking as beautiful as Frisco remembered and happier than he'd ever seen her to boot. 

"Alright. I'm getting reassigned back here actually."

She hugged him again. "That's great, Frisco!" Someone cleared his throat near them. "Hey Marcus," she said to bald man staring at them. "Why don't you call Mac and let him know he has a visitor?"

The officer picked up the phone on a nearby desk and dialed. "There's a WSB agent here to see you." He listened for a moment before hanging up. "He'll be right out to see you, Agent Jones."

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Oh, where are my manners?" Sam asked, slapping her forehead. "Frisco Jones, this is Marcus Taggart."

The two men stared at each other skeptically. Taggart glanced at the file folder the agent was holding. "I don't suppose you'll tell me what business the WSB has here."

"Just dropping something off."

Mac walked up between his detectives. Frisco handed him the folder. "How'd it go with Baldwin?" he asked, glancing through the file.

"Oh, he's as pleasant as ever." He shrugged. "It went fine. Court was getting ready to start, so he didn't have time for me."

"I'm sure I'll hear about it later."

"Eventually." He lightly punched Sam on the arm. "I've got to go. I'll see you later. Mac. Detective Taggart."

"Bye, Frisco." Sam waved to her former partner as he left.

Taggart turned to Mac. "Okay, you want to tell me what's going on?"

Mac was still looking the direction that Frisco had gone, hands on his hips. "You just met the new head of the local WSB office."

  



	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Bother" by Stone Sour. Yet another familiar face is back! ;) A little more serious than the other chapters. I'm guessing on Frisco's age, not sure if they ever really said on the show (if anyone knows different, please let me know). I don't watch Port Charles, so Kevin isn't evil or whatever it is they're doing to him these days.

Goblz- you poor thing! You missed all the WSB stuff! Anyway, Robert's place had a secret room that he did all the spy stuff out of (had a computer- big deal back in the early '80s). Sean's penthouse (now Sonny's) had one too. As for Skye, go back and read chapter 6. Frisco tells Tony part of the story. I've been posting this elsewhere and I'm up to chapter 25 there, that's why I've been updating so often. :) Ismile- thanks! Glad you've enjoyed it enough to read it over here too! Guess you know what's coming up! ;)  


  
  


_Wish I was too dead to cry  
My self-affliction fades  
Stones to throw at my creator  
Masochists to which I cater  
You don't need to bother;  
I don't need to be  
I'll keep slipping farther  
But once I hold on,  
I won't let go 'til it bleeds_

_Wish I was too dead to care  
If indeed I cared at all  
Never had a voice to protest  
So you fed me shit to digest  
I wish I had a reason;  
my flaws are open season  
For this, I gave up trying  
One good turn deserves my dying _

Frisco sat uncomfortably in a waiting area chair in General Hospital. He'd finally broken down and called Gail Baldwin, after Sean had pestered him daily. Gail hadn't been willing to take him on as a patient, said it was too much for her now that she was semi-retired. So she had made him an appointment with Kevin Collins.

He wasn't totally comfortable with seeing Kevin. He was Mac's friend. He had stalked Felicia. And the guy was a little crazy himself. Gail assured him repeatedly that Kevin was a good psychiatrist, that Kevin would be better for him than she would. Yeah, right.

Frisco watched as Kevin stopped at the Nurses' station and then walked towards him. 

"Nice to see you again, Frisco."

"Nice to be seen, I guess," he answered, standing up. 

Kevin didn't answer, making Frisco feel like he was being sized up. "Why don't we go back to my office?" Kevin eventually said.

Frisco's voice was shaky. "Okay," he said, wiping his sweat hands on his jeans.

He quietly followed Kevin to his office. Kevin held the door open, gesturing the agent inside. The small room was sparse. A desk, a sofa, a half-filled bookcase, a couple pictures on the walls. About as exciting as his own office. Frisco sat down as Kevin pulled out a thick file.

"Sean Donely sent me a copy of your medical records and your service record."

Of course Sean wouldn't stay out of it. The older agent didn't trust him when it came to his own life. "How nice of him. So, I guess you know the whole story."

Kevin was leaning back in his chair. "Hardly. I know what Sean wants me to know about your career. What I don't know is how you feel about any of it."

"I'm sure that's in my psych report somewhere."

"Not really. Just a psychiatrist's opinion of you."

Frisco chuckled cynically, shaking his head. He remembered vividly the unfeeling bastard the WSB called a psychiatrist that Sean had forced him to see. "And what did that fucker think of me?"

Kevin looked through the rather large file until he found the paper he wanted. "'Agent Jones has numerous issues regarding his imprisonments in Bulgaria, Iraq and Afghanistan, problems with authority and severe problems with anger. He has reported nightmares, paranoia and feelings of claustrophobia and agoraphobia. There are also indications of drug and alcohol abuse. He suffers from depression and medical records suggest he has attempted suicide several times. In my opinion, Agent Jones is not fit for active duty.' Sound about right?"

Frisco shrugged indifferently, although he was hardly indifferent. The shrink's words angered him. He wasn't crazy, but the WSB's bastard apparently thought he was. "I guess."

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is what you were diagnosed with. Do you agree with that?"

He hated the way Kevin was staring at him, like he was being judged. He could feel the panic rising. He needed to get away… "I'm not the doctor here."

"This isn't like internal medicine. I can't run a battery of tests and know what's wrong. Only you can tell me that."

Frisco stood up angrily and began pacing. "I don't know what you want me to say!"

Kevin watched him before speaking again. "Let's start with how you are feeling right now."

"Pissed off!"

"Why are you pissed off?"

"I don't know! I don't know why I get so pissed off sometimes I want to punch something! I don't know why I end up yelling at Felicia for no reason! I don't know why I can't control what I feel anymore! I don't know why I feel anything at all!" Frisco looked back Kevin uncertainly. "This is stupid! I've got better things to do!" He moved to the door.

"Frisco, wait!" Kevin said, moving to stop him. "You don't want to talk about the WSB, fine. We'll talk about something else." Frisco's hand was still on the door knob, but he made no move to open the door. "Why don't you tell me about your family?"

"You know my family better than I do, Kevin."

The pain in his voice was obvious to the psychiatrist. "What about your parents? What was your childhood like?"

"My parents are dead," Frisco said quietly.

"How did they die, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My dad had a heart attack and my mom was sick."

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen when my mom died and twenty-three when my dad died."

"That's a young age to lose your parents. It had to be hard on you."

"Yeah."

"What was your family life like before your mother died?"

Frisco just shrugged, turning to face Kevin again. "It was good, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Tony was the good son. I was the difficult son."

"Difficult how?"

"I was always in trouble. What does all these questions have to do with my PTSD?"

"Your background, your experiences make you into the person are," Kevin explained. "I'd like to know what that background is so I can figure out how to help you. I didn't know you before you went into the WSB, and I barely knew you when you were here last." Frisco was looking away, his arms crossed, not convinced. "You need help, Frisco. You know that, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

Frisco slumped onto the sofa, taking his head in his hands. "I just want things to go back to the way they were. I just want to forget the last ten years ever happened."

Kevin pulled his chair closer to the agent. "I don't blame you. You've seen things no one should ever see. But all of it did happen. You can't change that, you can't just make it all go away and you can't run from it. You need to deal with all of this before you can move on with your life."

Frisco looked up, tears clouding his eyes. "I don't know if I can do that. It just hurts too much." He hated this. He hated Sean for making him do this. He hated feeling like such a weakling. Men don't cry, that's what his father always said. What was he doing? Crying like a little kid on some shrink's sofa because he couldn't handle his job. What a man he was.

"We can start slow, Frisco. Talk about your family, what kind of life you had before the WSB first, if you'd like," Kevin said, handing him a Kleenex. 

The thought of life before the Bureau was the last straw for Frisco's heart. He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't hold all these emotions back anymore. He broke down, feeling Kevin's hand on his shoulder.

~*~

Frisco had finally calmed down. It had taken some time, but they were feelings he needed to vent. There was so much pent up emotion, Kevin wasn't sure how his new patient would take to therapy. The medications were doing their jobs, but he wasn't sure they were enough to control Frisco's moods. Kevin was afraid he was eventually going to have to hospitalize him.

"Feel better?" Kevin asked, returning to his chair.

Frisco sniffed. "Not really."

"You want to keep talking or have you had enough for today?"

"I guess keep going since I'm already here."

"Sure? We can stop if you're not feeling up to it right now."

Frisco leaned back, settling in the sofa. "I think I'm okay now. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. That tends to happen a lot in here," Kevin said with a slight grin. "You want to finish telling me how you were a difficult child?"

Frisco wiped a stray tear from his cheek. "I couldn't do anything right. I was always getting into trouble, suspended and all that. I never got the grades Tony did."

"How much older is Tony?"

"Almost ten years."

"That's a big age difference."

"Mom always said I was her little miracle baby. She wasn't supposed to have any more children and then I came along."

"How did your parents treat your brother?"

"He was the golden child. Polite, smart, good grades and never got caught making explosives in chemistry class. Saint Anthony, that was what I always called him. I couldn't do anything right, he couldn't do anything wrong." Kevin was furiously writing notes on a legal pad. Frisco wondered what exactly he was writing, but wasn't sure he really wanted to know.

"Did you feel like he was an impossible standard to live up to?" Kevin asked, looking up from his writing.

"He lived up to it, so I guess not. I was just a screw up, I suppose."

"Did your parents make you feel like you had to live up to that?"

"No, not really," Frisco answered, shaking his head hesitantly. "They just wanted me to behave and get good grades. Apparently that was too much to ask."

"What did they say when you did something wrong or didn't get good grades?"

"Dad yelled at me. Mom just asked me to do better next time, not that I ever did. They both asked me why I couldn't be more like Tony."

"Did your father remarry after your mother's death?"

"Six months after."

"That's not a lot of time."

Frisco sighed. These were memories he really didn't want to dig up. He'd been through them, dealt with them and put them away. Rehashing it was pointless. "Rita was my mother's nurse. They were having an affair while Mom was dying. She was slept with Tony too. That's where Saint Anthony was when Mom died, he was fucking the nurse."

"How did you feel about that?"

"Tony or Dad?"

"Both."

"I didn't speak to Tony for years. The first time I saw him here in Port Charles, I was in the emergency room, I punched him. I would've never made up with him if it weren't for Tania."

"Tony's first wife, right?"

"She was my girlfriend then. She urged me to make up with him. So I did. It was nice to have my big brother back. Most of the time anyway."

"You and Tony have a good relationship?"

"We have our ups and downs. He can be a little overprotective and he's majorly bossy."

"I supposed that comes with the territory, especially with the age difference."

"Yeah, I know. It's just so smothering sometimes. He tells me what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. I hate that. It makes me feel so… so…"

"Stupid? Inadequate? Lacking in some way?"

Frisco looked up at Kevin uneasily, those suggestions not making him feel better. But he couldn't deny that those thoughts hadn't crossed his mind. "Yeah," he admitted quietly. "I hate that."

"I'm sure he doesn't mean it ."

"I know he doesn't. He's always looked out for me. I guess there was a time needed that. I think he just forgets I'm grown up sometimes."

Kevin tossed the legal pad on his desk. "Sounds like he's a good brother. You know if you're not happy with him, I'll trade brothers with you."

Frisco smiled for the first time. "I think I'll just keep the one I've got. Thanks."

"I think this is a good place to stop for today. What do you think?"

"Yeah, I guess," he answered, shrugging. "What happens now?"

"I want to see you twice a week."

"What about my medications?" 

"Unless there's a problem with them, I want to see how they're working before I start changing things. We'll talk about that next time, okay?"

"You're the doc."

"You know, I don't control things. This is your recovery, I'm just here to help. You make the decisions."

"You're the doc."

Kevin flipped through the appointment book on his desk. He jotted down something in the book, then on a card. "I want you to be here every week, at these times. No excuses," he said, handing Frisco the card.

"You're the doc."

"Don't say that again, Frisco."

"You're the…"

Kevin cut him off. "Have you always been a smart ass?" His only answer was a mischievous lopsided grin that didn't quite reach Frisco's eyes.

  



	10. Chapter 10

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Against The Wind" by Bob Seger. Another familiar character to Tony & Frisco fans, although she wasn't well known since she was only on for a month.

Goblz- don't worry about missing that! Only one person that's commented picked on the Skye mention in that chapter. It just flew over everybody's heads! ;) As for the age difference, it's just a guess based off hints about Tony and Frisco's ages. Kevin, well, I don't watch PC, I just know he's evil now. Thanks!!  


  
  


_The years rolled slowly past  
And I found myself alone  
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends  
I found myself further and further from my home  
And I guess I lost my way  
There were oh so many roads  
I was living to run and running to live  
Never worryied about paying or even how much I owed  
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time  
Breaking all of the rules that would bend  
I began to find myself searching  
Searching for shelter again and again_

_Against the wind  
A little something against the wind  
I found myself seeking shelter sgainst the wind_

_Well those drifter's days are past me now  
I've got so much more to think about  
Deadlines and commitments  
What to leave in, what to leave out _

Sean listened quietly as his assistant directors questioned Frisco on his cases. This was difficult for the younger man, he could see that. Frisco had been given a light load upon his return, but his cases had taken some very nasty turns. As a friend, it hurt to watch him be grilled like this. But Frisco would land on his feet as always.

As soon as the debriefing was over, Sean dismissed the other agents, leaving him alone with his old friend.

Frisco laid his head on the table tiredly. "You neglected to mention this was going to be grueling."

Sean smiled warmly. "Sorry. I didn't think they'd be that rough. It's over now, anyway."

"Is it over?"

"Yeah. You gave them the answers they wanted. Your promotion was already decided before this. You've earned it, and they agree with that." Sean grinned and chuckled. "Not that they have any say in it."

"That makes me feel so much better," he replied sarcastically.

"Ready for this?"

Frisco lifted his head. "Yeah. I've been working some with Mac this week. I'm going to approach Corinthos soon about informant status."

"I doubt he'll turn."

"I'm going to tell him the truth. He's got a family now. I'm sure he'll turn. I'm going to meet with Lansing about the Corinthos case next week. I'm still going through the files Mac gave me and he's going to try to get his hands on the FBI files as well."

"We can get those easily."

"I thought I'd try the diplomatic approach before hacking through their computer system."

Sean tried not to laugh. "Frisco Jones? Diplomatic? Are you kidding me?"

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Kiss my ass, Sean."

The smile disappeared from Sean's face. "How is life in the Jones house, Andrew?" he asked, concerned about his friend. Returning hadn't been easy, he knew.

"I have asked you repeatedly not to call me Andrew." Frisco leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "And life is the same as it was when I talked to you yesterday. Maxie still hates me. I think Felicia still wants me gone and Georgie wants me to stay, although I'm not quite sure why."

"A little cynical, aren't we?"

"I like to call it realistic. Tony and I haven't spoken since my second day back, either. Oh, and you wouldn't believe who I ran into."

"Who?"

"Skye Chandler. Get this- she's Alan Quartermaine's biological daughter. She married Jerry Jacks' little brother."

"And Brenda Barrett showed up at their wedding. Didn't you read the Alcazar file?"

Frisco looked at the table guiltily. He was supposed to read it, but had kept putting it off. "Parts of it. I didn't bother with any of the background stuff. Didn't think I'd need to know any of it."

"You didn't notice Skye's name on the list of witnesses?"

"I didn't spend a whole lot of time on it," the younger agent replied defensively, not enjoying being left out in the cold on that detail. "We weren't concerned with who actually offed the guy, right?"

Sean shifted in his chair, changing the subject slightly. "Where'd you run into her at?"

Sean's discomfort worried Frisco. He knew something. Frisco could tell by the way he was avoiding talking about Alcazar's murder. The thought of Sean having ulterior motives in sending Frisco back to Port Charles suddenly crossed his mind. He needed to read that file. "At the courthouse when I dropped that report off to Baldwin. We talked a little bit. It was really weird seeing her again."

"Did you tell Felicia?"

"No, I've had other things on my mind."

"How'd your first session with Kevin go?"

Frisco was waiting for this. He shifted nervously, learning long ago not to bother with lying to Sean. The older agent always found out in the end. "Alright. We talked about Tony mostly. He was asking all sorts of questions about my family and my parents. I don't see what anything we talked about has to do with fixing me."

Sean shrugged, giving Frisco the impression that maybe he'd already spoken to Kevin himself. So much for trust. "Maybe he saw something, maybe he's just getting to know you. He's a good psychiatrist, Frisco. Just give him a chance."

"I am giving him a chance. Twice a week, in fact. I just don't see what my family has to do with anything."

"I'm sure all will be revealed in time."

Frisco knotted his brow in confusion, wondering when the hell Sean Donely had gotten so philosophical. "Who are you? Yoda?"

Sean just laughed.

~*~

Frisco was packing up his office when someone knocked on his door. He pressed a button on his desk that triggered the office door's lock. The door opened and he watched his stepmother slip through the opening. Frisco frowned.

"Hey, Andy," she said merrily.

"Rita," he said with a forced smile, trying to be nice.

She sat down on the old sofa, making herself comfortable. "I heard you're going back to Port Charles."

"Officially, yes. Unofficially, I've been home for two weeks."

"How are Felicia and the girls?"

"Good. Felicia says hello," he said politely, returning to his packing.

She sat and watched her stepson. "How's it feel to be back home?" she asked cautiously.

"Can we cut the crap, Rita?" he said, throwing a picture frame in the box. "What the hell do you want?"

"Believe it or not, Andy, I care about you. I just want to know how you are."

"I'm fine!" he yelled. He took a deep breath, calming himself down. "Why do you care now? You never cared before."

She leaned forward. "I cared, kiddo. You were too angry to see it until you needed me."

He leaned against his desk and glared at her coldly. "I never needed you, Rita."

"You need me. You just won't admit it." Frisco rolled his eyes. She smiled, knowing she was right. "That's okay. I won't make you say it. Donely make you see the shrink yet?"

Frisco sighed, irritated. "Of course. I went a couple days ago."

"Are you seeing, oh what was her name… Gail?"

He frowned, slightly insulted. "No, she said I was too much work for her."

She nodded her head in agreement. "I can see how difficult it would be to shrink your head," she teased.

Frisco glared at his stepmother. The woman drove him crazy. Too bad he'd already packed his gun. "Ha ha ha. Very funny."

She just smiled and brushed a stray auburn curl from her face, knowing how easily she got underneath his skin. "Slept with Felicia yet?"

That took him by total surprise. Where the hell had that come from? He wasn't even going to dignify that... Felicia was none of her fucking business. "I am not discussing that with you!" he barked disgustedly.

"I'll take that as a yes. Didn't take you long." She glanced away, then back to him slyly. "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" he asked guardedly, not sure what to expect next.

Rita suddenly looked guilty. He knew instantly he wasn't going to like her answer. "Sleeping with her. I won the pot. I was the only the one who predicted it would happen before you came back today."

The pot? He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You bet on my sex life?"

"I wouldn't call it a bet exactly…" she stammered, but was amused by the absolutely shocked expression on his face. She'd never seen him speechless before.

"You bet on my sex life?"

"Everyone else did!" she countered defensively.

"You bet on my sex life?"

"Donley started it!"

"You bet on my sex life! I don't believe this!" He shook his head, astonished. "I'm so happy I could help, Rita. I can't believe you bet on my sex life!"

"So, tell me. How long did it take?"

Frisco ran a hand over his face disbelievingly, still stunned by his stepmother. "Now you're asking for details?"

"Hell yes. Every sordid one," she said, grinning playfully.

He grimaced. "You are such a pervert!"

"Oh, I am not!" she said, standing up and lightly slapping his arm. "I'm just curious!" she leaned closer, mischievous glint in her eyes. "How long did you hold out before you couldn't stand it anymore?"

He threw her a dirty look, moving as far away from her as he could get in the small office. "Oh, please!"

She put her hands on her hips, watching him knowingly. "Come on! I know you, Andy. You staying with Felicia or Tony?"

"Felicia," he admitted with a sigh.

"You're in the same house. You're both single, right?"

"So?"

She shrugged, looking quite satisfied with herself. "Nothing standing between you this time."

"Nothing but the years I've been gone," he replied, sadness and regret filling his voice. 

"Exactly." She ruffled his hair affectionately. "Don't tell me you don't still love her and I'm sure she still loves you. How long did you last before you gave in to it?"

"I'm not telling you that!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Not long I take it."

"Thirty minutes," he mumbled, hoping she didn't hear him.

"Thirty minutes?" she repeated, trying not to laugh. "It only took you thirty minutes to get her into bed? You've got to be kidding me!" 

"Oh, shut up! I was not trying to get her into bed!"

"That's got to be some kind of record, even for you two," she said, chuckling and returning to her spot on the sofa.

He smirked. "I'm glad you're enjoying this."

"You still love her, right?" Rita asked, her voice softer.

Frisco smiled regretfully. "As much as I ever did."

"You still want to be with her?"

"Of course!" he said, offended.

"Then why are you getting so defensive about it?"

"I am not defensive!" He ran a hand through his short hair. "I just don't know what's going on between me and Felicia. It's not like before. We're sleeping together, but we're not really together."

"Do you trust her?" she asked point-blank.

"What kind of question is that?"

"A good one. I know what you went through without her. I know what you went through when she married Mac. And I know very well how difficult it is for you to trust people, especially someone you feel betrayed by."

"She never betrayed me," he clarified defensively.

"Not deliberately, no," she conceded. "But you felt betrayed all the same because she fell in love with Mac and then married him. You felt betrayed when she was sleeping with Tom Hardy. Hell, you even felt betrayed when she had that affair with Luke Spencer. Come to think of it, I bet you took her affair with Luke harder than Mac did and he was her husband."

"Your point?" he asked, annoyed.

"You don't trust her." She watched him, waiting for his reaction.

He sat up immediately, angry that Rita would even suggest such a thing. "I trust her with my life, with every fiber of my being," he said coldly.

She confidently met his icy gaze. "You're afraid of being hurt again."

Frisco rolled his eyes. "You're worse than Kevin."

"Who's Kevin?" Rita asked, confused.

"The shrink," he said, walking around his desk. "I go in with PTSD and all he wants to talk about is my family." He sunk into the old chair with a sigh.

"I worked in a mental facility for a while. I'd like to think I know a few things," she said, shrugging. "But I do know you, Andy."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. You only think you do."

"You're not a lot different now than you were as a teenager. You're still carrying around the same baggage, you've just added to it through the years."

Frisco glared at her. "Oh shut up. You don't know what you're talking about, Rita. Why don't you stick to nursing."

"Fine," she said, sighing melodramatically. "Don't listen to me. Blow the last chance you're going to get with her."


	11. Chapter 11

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Even The Losers" by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Familiar faces just seem to be coming out of the woodwork all over the place! ;) I'm posting a few chapters to get caught up to where I am in the story everywhere else. Goblz- thanks as always!  


  


_Time meant nothing, anything seemed real.  
Yeah, you kissed like fire and you made me feel  
Like every word you said was meant to be.  
It couldn't been that easy to forget about me._

_Baby, even the losers, get lucky sometimes.  
Baby, even the losers, keep a little bit of pride, they get lucky sometimes. _

Tiffany was making dinner when Frisco walked into the home he shared with the Donelys. The TV was turned up loud, the sounds of cartoon violence filling the air. He could hear Sean and Tiffany's small daughter Anna laughing in the kitchen with the lively blonde.

"Honey, I'm home!" he said in his best Ricky Ricardo impression.

"Uncle Frisco!" Anna yelled, running into the foyer.

"Hey chipmunk!" he said as she jumped into his open arms. "Been getting into much trouble?"

"No, she only does that when you're around." Tiffany was standing in the doorway, smiling and wiping her hands on a dish towel. "We're getting ready to eat dinner, if you're interested."

Frisco glanced at her, at the towel, then back at her. "Did you cook?"

"What? You think I can't cook?" Frisco stared unbelieving at her. "Okay, we got take out from Tony's. So sue me." She shrugged and walked back into the kitchen. 

Anna pulled Frisco by the hand behind her mother. "Come on, Uncle Frisco!"

"I ordered plenty for you, just in case you were hungry." Tiffany told him, setting a plate in front of Anna. "Are you hungry?"

"Starved," he answered, sitting next to the little girl.

Tiffany smiled at him. "Good to see your appetite has come back."

Frisco frowned. "Yeah. I guess I haven't been eating much."

"No, you haven't. We were getting worried about you." She handed him a plate of pasta and sat down with her own. "I always thought going home would be good for you."

"Wish I'd let you convince me of that years ago. Would've saved me a lot of heartache," he said, taking a bite.

"You needed to figure this one out on your own, honey. I'm just glad you finally came to your senses."

"Guess what I did at school today, Uncle Frisco!" Anna said, interrupting them.

Frisco listened intently as Anna told him about her day. She dominated the conversation until she was finished eating, Tiffany only speaking up to tell her to not talk with food in her mouth. The little girl was cute, so excitable. Frisco loved her more than almost anything, but seeing her had always reminded him of the daughters he had left behind. He wondered if his girls had been as precocious as Anna Donely.

"All done! Can I go back and watch cartoons now, Mommy?" Anna asked, pushing her now empty plate away.

"Yes, you may." Tiffany waited until the little girl had bounced out of the room. "How are things back at home, Frisco?"

Frisco threw his hands up defeatedly. "What is it with you and Sean? You keep asking me that and I keep telling you everything is fine!"

"Honey, when you say everything is fine, it's usually far from fine."

"It's okay, I promise. Nothing's wrong, I swear, Tiff."

"So, what's going on then?"

He sighed. He was so tired of being interrogated and everyone assuming he was lying about how he was doing. "How many times do I have to explain this?"

"I'm guessing my husband has already debriefed you." Frisco nodded, rolling his eyes. "Did Rita question you too?"

"Yeah. She pestered me until I told her."

Tiffany flashed him a knowing smile. "You let her get to you in other words."

"Pretty much," he answered with a sigh.

"Well, you can explain it to me now. You two back together?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? How could you not know?" she asked. 

"We're sleeping together, yes. But I don't feel like we're together. It feels so… superficial. It just doesn't feel right."

"How so?"

"It feels more like we're just going through the motions. We haven't really reconnected," he explained, still trying to decipher his own feelings. "It was great the first day, but we've just been fighting half the time since. I hate fighting with her."

She couldn't quite believe how dense her two friends could be. "Frisco, you and Felicia have been fighting since the day you met. You fell in love with her in the middle of a fight."

"It's not the same," he said, shaking his head. "It's actually fighting, not our usual bickering. I feel like she's walking on eggshells around me the rest of the time." He sighed desolately. "Maybe it's just been too long."

"I see." She thought for a moment. "Maybe she just doesn't know how to react around you."

He looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Things have changed, Frisco. You're still the same people deep down, but you both have changed on the surface. It's just going to take time to get to know each other again." She took his hand in hers. "You will find each other again. I'm sure of it."

"I'm glad one of us has hope."

"I'm so sure, I'll walk you down the aisle myself when you two get remarried." She gestured sympathetically. "If it bothers you so much, why don't you cool it down for awhile. Just be friends. You've got plenty on your plate without trying to work things out with her. Worry about yourself for now."

"I can't do that," he said quietly.

"Why not?"

"I'm an idiot," he said wryly.

"Well, I already knew that. But that doesn't answer my question."

"I don't think I can stay away from her."

"You stayed away from her for almost ten years. What changed?"

He shrugged. "We weren't living in the same house. I don't think I can stay away while I'm living so close to her."

"Well, it's something to think about anyway."

"God, I still love her so much, Tiff," Frisco told her, running a hand through his hair.

"I know, honey," she said, caressing his cheek. "I know."

~*~

Frisco awoke scared. That weird dream again. It wasn't like the others. It wasn't same old memories of prison and beatings and torture and all the other nightmares he had grown used to having. There wasn't anything to be scared of in this dream. But he was terrified.

The dream was still fresh in his mind. Walking out onto a balcony and a dark figure waiting for him, their back turned. That voice. "Now what?" it had asked, laughing. That's when Frisco woke up.

He'd had the dream the last three nights. Something about returning to Boston must've triggered it, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what. Nor could he figure out what the hell the dream meant, why he was having it.

Frisco closed his eyes, praying that sleep would find him again.

~*~

"Are you sure you're okay to drive?" Tiffany asked as Frisco finished packing up his midnight blue, WSB-issued Mustang. His little baby. "You didn't get much sleep last night."

"I'll be okay. If I get tired, I'll stop and sleep."

"You better. I don't want to have go identify your body in some podunk town between here and Port Charles," Sean ordered.

"Yes, sir," Frisco said, saluting his boss. He smiled and hugged his friends. "I'll be fine."

"Call when you get back to Felicia's, alright?" Tiffany commanded, very maternally.

"I will, Tiff. Don't worry so much."

She hugged him tightly again. "I can't help it. I love you, you big lug."

"I love you too." He pulled back slightly. "Keep this guy on a short leash, okay?" he whispered in her ear.

"Oh get in the car, Frisco. Before Sean decides to shoot you," Tiffany said, glancing amusedly at her offended husband.

"He wouldn't do that. He loves me too much." Frisco quickly moved away from Sean and got into his car. He waved as he pulled out of the driveway.

They watched the Mustang drive away. Tiffany turned to her husband. "You really think he did it?"

Sean took a deep breath. "Yeah. And God help him when he remembers it."  


  



	12. Chapter 12

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Letters From The Wasteland" by the Wallflowers.  
  


_Now coming down  
Out of this swandive to your arms  
I make no sounds  
When I move thru your reservoirs  
I wake up quick  
I wake up sick  
As you abandon me  
Into these fields of rank and file  
Thru this cloud I hear you breathing  
Thru these bars I watch them bring more in_

_Now another bad idea gets thru  
Down they send me unto you  
Every bridge I should have burned  
Every lesson I've unlearned  
When the smoke give way to ruins  
Incarcerated lovesick fools  
I wait for you to cut me loose  
But until then_

_Now I send back letters from the wasteland home  
Last slowdance to this romance on my own  
May take two to tango, but boy it takes one to let go  
Now I send back letters from the wasteland home  
From where I slowdance to this romance on my own _

Frisco rested his head on the steering wheel. The drive from Boston was long and doing it so early in the morning when he had barely slept the night before was not a good idea, he'd decided shortly after leaving Sean and Tiffany's. He'd wanted to be home before the girls got home from school, but that didn't happen. He'd stopped every chance he could to get caffeine. It was the only thing that could keep him awake and even then, he'd stopped to take a nap at a closed gas station in some one-horse town not long out of the city. Actually, it wasn't really a nap; he'd slept longer in his car than he usually did in his own bed. He hadn't been this tired in months. It was night before he reached Port Charles.

"To hell with it," he said, tiredly lifting his head. He was home, there was no need to sleep in the damn car anymore. He grabbed his laptop bag and went inside. The rest of his stuff could wait until later.

Felicia was waiting for him at the door, smiling seductively and wearing only a silk robe. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to come inside," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It was a long drive," he replied, his mouth dry and all the blood in his body rushing south.

"I bet," she whispered in his ear.

He pulled away anxiously. "I… I'm just going to go to bed now," he stammered, heading towards the stairs.

She pouted. "That's too bad because we have the house to ourselves."

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at Felicia. "We do?"

"Georgie's at a sleepover and Maxie is at a party with Lucas, then she's going to stay the night at Bobbie's. It's just you and me, but you're tired, so I guess it's just me." She sat on the sofa, her robe separating and falling down the sides of her legs.

Frisco gulped. "I think I can make it for a little while longer."

"Why don't you come over here and prove it to me." 

Frisco set the bag on the floor and joined her on the sofa, taking her in his arms. He kissed her passionately, opening the robe and slipping it from her shoulder. He kissed his way down her neck to her shoulder where the soft fabric had just been. He felt his beautiful wife's fingers in his hair. Ex-wife, he reminded himself again. They weren't married anymore. They weren't even really together anymore. They were just having sex, that's it.

That thought shocked him and he jerked away from her. "Oh God."

"Frisco, what's wrong?"

He looked into her eyes, almost in desperation. He had to know. He couldn't handle the uncertainty anymore. "Do you want me?"

Felicia was confused. "What?"

"Do you want me?" he repeated.

"Since I'm currently half-dressed, I'd say that was pretty obvious."

"That's not what I mean," he said, standing. "Do you really want me back?"

"Do we have to discuss this now?"

"Yes! I need to know where this is going, Felicia," Frisco pleaded with her.

"Why? Can't you just enjoy what we have?"

"I don't know. I just…" He paused to gather his thoughts. "I just don't want to get hurt again."

Felicia walked over to him, pulling him to her. He resisted, confusing her even more. "I still love you, Frisco. That never changed."

"That wasn't what I asked." He shook his head. She just wasn't understanding what he was saying. Hell, he wasn't understanding what he was saying. 

She moved away from him, her body tensing defensively. "I learned a long time ago not to expect tomorrows from you. I take what I can get."

The sad tone of her voice stabbed at his heart. He'd hurt her so many times. He closed his eyes briefly, another reminder that the whole situation was his fault. "Things are different now."

"I've heard that before. I've heard it all before from you. And things always change. I've accepted that it's just the way you are."

Frisco closed his eyes. He wasn't going to convince her. What was the point anyway? She was just going to leave him for stable, dependable Mac if he ever gave her another chance. Irresponsible. That was what Tony had always said he was. His brother was right, Felicia was right, Mac was right. He was undependable and irresponsible. Add unstable to the list now. This was never going to work. He'd screwed up too badly.

Then again, if she was just taking what she could get from him, then he could take what he could get from her while he had the chance. Before she wised up and left him again. "I'm going to go to bed."

"Frisco, don't go…"

He turned around and looked at her. "Are you coming? Or do I have to go alone?" he asked with a sly grin.

~*~

Frisco was sitting on the sofa staring at the Alcazar file. He should be reading it. He needed to know what was in that file. His debriefing with Sean had shown him that much, regardless of what the director had told him the Bureau's interest was. But he could not bring himself to open that file. He heard a noise from the kitchen, startling him. It sounded like the lock on the back door. Someone was trying to get into the house. He shut off the lamp next to him and drew his gun, prepared to shoot whoever was breaking in.

He aimed at the kitchen door, hearing footsteps on the tile floor. A dark figure came through the door. He cocked his gun, ready to fire. "Don't move," he growled.

The figure stopped, but it was the scared voice that surprised him. "Dad?"

"Maxie?" He turned the lamp back on. "I thought you were staying at Bobbie's tonight."

She was still afraid of him, he noticed. "I had a fight with Lucas, so I decided to come home. When'd you get back?"

"After you left," he answered, returning his gun to its holster. "What were you fighting with Lucas about?"

She shrugged, relaxing some now that the gun was gone. "He didn't like the guy I was hanging around with at the party. We got in a fight and he left."

Frisco put his hands in his pockets, suspicion sinking in. "You fought with Lucas at the party?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice and body language dripping with attitude.

"He left before you?"

"Yeah."

"You didn't go to Bobbie's?" he asked pointedly, staring down his own daughter like he would a suspect.

"No."

"Then you're 3 hours late for curfew."

"So?" Maxie asked contemptuously.

"You're grounded," Frisco answered irritably.

"You come home and suddenly you think you can tell me what to do? Who the hell do you think you are?" she yelled at him.

"Your father. And I didn't set the curfew. Your mother and Mac did. You want to argue about it, we can go wake her and ask her what she thinks." He gestured to the stairs, half hoping Felicia would wake up and help him out.

"That's not fair!"

"Yes, it is. You know the rules. When you decided not to go home with Lucas, you should've been home by curfew," he told her loudly.

Maxie threw up her hands in disgust. "Lucas stranded me at the party! I had to wait for a ride!"

"I'm sure your friend would've given you a ride and if not, you have a cell phone, you could've called home. I would've come and got you," he said, his voice rising another notch. 

"Yeah, right! They would've all made fun of me for having my parents pick me up!"

That was it. He had had enough. "Now you're just making excuses!" He yelled back, moving closer to her. "You think I don't remember high school? How totally uncool parents are? You think I would've gone in there dressed all geeky, showing off the naked baby pictures? I would've just waited in the car! And I happen to have a really badass car!" 

"Oh, that stupid Mustang in the driveway?"

"Hey! Don't knock the coolness of muscle cars!"

"Whatever," she said heading for the stairs. 

He grabbed her arm to stop her. She reeked of marijuana and alcohol, mixed with the gum and perfume she was obviously using to cover the smell. It was a tactic he himself had once perfected. "Have you been smoking pot?"

"No!" she yelled, yanking her arm away from her father.

"You're lying! I can smell it! The alcohol, too! What the hell do you think you're doing, Maxie?"

"You haven't been here! You have no right to tell me what to do! You're not my father!"

"The hell I don't! I am your father, whether you like it or not!"

Felicia sleepily came down the stairs. "What's going on down here? Maxie, what are you doing home?"

"She decided not to go to Bobbie's with Lucas," Frisco answered irately for his daughter.

"You're grounded," Felicia answered calmly.

"But Mom!" Maxie argued. Frisco just childishly smirked at her.

Felicia shook her head. "You know the rules, Maxie. Your curfew is midnight. Now why don't you two stop fighting and get some sleep?"

"Fine," Maxie said, stomping up the stairs.

Felicia turned to her ex-husband. "You coming back to bed, Frisco?"

"No, I'm not tired."

"You gotta start sleeping at night, babe," she said, squeezing his arm. "This vampire routine isn't good for you."

"I know." He sighed, debating on whether or not to tell her about the drugs. She was Maxie's mother, she deserved to know. On the other hand, he felt like he knew what was going through his daughter's head, in which case, Felicia probably needed to know that too… He'd tell her about the drugs and deal with the other himself. "She was doing drugs, Felicia. I could smell the pot on her. She was drinking, too."

"I'll talk to her in the morning," she replied, yawning.

"No, I'll talk to her."

"Don't, Frisco." Seeing his hurt expression, she reached out to touch his face. "You'll just get into another fight with her. Let me deal with this, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed reluctantly. He wanted to deal with his oldest daughter, but Felicia was right. Maxie hated him; they'd just end up arguing again.

He laid back down on the couch and turned on the TV, feeling the starts of a pounding headache coming on. Bobbie's description was pretty accurate. A little version of himself at fifteen. Just what the world needed.


	13. Chapter 13

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Am I The Only One" by the Dixie Chicks.  
  


_There is no good reason  
I should have to be so alone  
I'm smothered by this emptiness  
Lord, I wish I was made of stone  
Like a fool I lent my soul to love  
And it paid me back in change  
God help me, am I the only one  
Who's ever felt this way_

_A heart that's worn and weathered  
Would know better than to fight  
But I wore mine like a weapon  
Played out love like a crime  
And it wrung me out and strung me out  
And it hung years on my face  
God help me, am I the only one  
Who's ever felt this way _

Frisco wandered around the new Port Charles base of operations. The warehouse was impressive. From the outside, it just looked like any other run-down warehouse around the docks. Even the front entrance looked run-down. But the inside was about as high tech as you could get. He smiled giddily. It would rival the headquarters in Boston once everything was in place. And it was his.

The second floor was just a maze of offices and conference rooms. The ground floor was mostly a holding area for vehicles and other large equipment, as were the two warehouses on either side of the main building. His office was on the first of the three bombproof sub-basements. In the basements would be state of the art forensics labs, servers, file rooms, interrogation rooms, a few holding cells, an armory and a small medical facility. A lot nicer than the tents he'd used in the Middle East. He was going to like this.

He entered his office, checking out the security system on the way in. He was happy to see that the furniture had already been moved in. He sat in the new leather chair. One of the perks of being boss. He got the nice stuff, instead of the beat up desk, squeaky chair and old couch in his old office back in Boston. He smiled, enjoying the feel of the new comfortable chair. He glanced around mischievously, even though he knew no one else was around. Giggling like a little kid, he spun the chair around until he was dizzy.

"Enjoying yourself?" Frisco spun around at the sound of Sam's voice and smiled. "I got your little present," she said, smiling and dangling the security card he'd sent her.

"So I noticed. How do you like the new digs?" he asked, gesturing around the room.

She looked around and shrugged. "Well, it beats the dumps in Istanbul and Bogotá that I got stuck in."

"Hey, don't complain! I spent half my career operating out of tents in the desert!"

She sat in the plastic covered chair across the desk from him. "Is this a competition of who lived through worse conditions?" she asked, grinning.

"No, of course not!" Frisco laughed. "We both know I would win that!" He smiled, glad to see his old friend so happy. "Why did you leave the Bureau?" he asked hesitantly.

"You were right about me being too nice for the Bureau," she said, looking down. "I hated the person I was while I was there. I hated all the compromises I had to make, working with bad guys like Alcazar. I hated the way the job made me feel." She looked into her former partner's eyes. "I know Sean didn't just ask you to give up field work. Why did you come back to Port Charles?"

"It was time. I shouldn't have left in the first place." He paused. "I've had some problems dealing with that fuck up in Iraq."

"Another good agent with PTSD. Isn't that the story of the Bureau," she said, frowning.

"Tell me about it," Frisco replied quietly.

"What did your psych report say?"

"After Iraq, I totally snowed the shrink." He looked very pleased with himself as he spoke. But his grin disappeared when he remembered what Kevin had told him. "My psych report from earlier this year said I wasn't fit for active duty and that I should be put on psychiatric leave."

"So Sean sent you here instead?"

"No, Sean, um, made sure the report, uh, got lost…" he trailed off guiltily.

"You had to make a deal with him, didn't you?"

He smirked. "You know me too well."

"Think you can handle this?"

"Piece of cake."

Sam looked at him, unconvinced. "That's what you said about Iraq."

"That what I said about Domino, too," he admitted. Domino had had him locked in a Bulgarian prison for months while the Bureau let his family think he was dead. Maybe he shouldn't assume this job was going to be easy.

"I see a trend," she said thoughtfully.

"I'll be okay. This is mostly a desk job, which I am ready for, I'm in therapy and I'm back home with my family. That's all I need." She chuckled at that last phrase, opening her mouth to speak. "Don't even say it, Sam."

She feigned innocence. "What? I wasn't going to say anything!"

"Yeah, right."

Sam didn't answer, she only hummed the chorus of "All I Need".

"Stop that!" he yelled good-naturedly at her, looking around for something to throw, since his foam stress balls were packed away. His singing career had become a thing of ridicule by his fellow agents, not that he minded much. Tony had made fun of his musical aspirations for years.

"Hey, it could be worse! It could've been 'Sneak Attack', Mr. Rock Star."

"Oh, shut up. That was cool back in the day."

Sam cracked up laughing at that. Frisco tried to be offended, but joined her despite himself. "That was mean, Samantha," he told her.

She tried to look sincerely innocent. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not."

She shrugged, grinning broadly. "Okay, so I'm not sorry."

Frisco shook his head. His old friend cracked him up sometimes. He'd missed her, missed how good she made him feel. Just like old times, before either of them had joined the Bureau and had been jaded by the job. "You want to get lunch?"

"No, I've got to get back to the station. I just wanted to see the new place."

"Oh, okay," he said, disappointed. He had been looking forward to spend some time with her, but he understood that she had to work. At least that's what he told himself. His demeanor changed completely. He became tense, guarded. "I was going to tell Mac, but I keep forgetting. We're going to have state of the art forensics labs here. The PCPD is welcome to them whenever you guys need it."

She looked at him strangely, taken back by his sudden coolness. "I'm sure Mac will be happy to hear that." When he didn't answer, she took that as her cue to leave. "I should be going…" she said, trailing off.

He looked up at her. "Okay. Maybe we can go to lunch another day?" he asked halfheartedly.

She smiled. "I'd like that. You know where to get a hold of me."

"Yeah." 

She got up to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "I'll talk to you later, Frisco. Take care of yourself," she said and left the room.

"Yeah," he said quietly, watching his former partner leave.

~*~

Frisco sipped his coffee, lost in thought. He could hardly understand himself anymore. He couldn't understand why Sam turning down lunch had bothered him so much. She had to work, they'd get together another day. No big deal. So why was he so upset about it? Why did his mood change so quickly?

That's part of how he knew he'd had a problem before. His drastic mood changes. They weren't as bad as before, but he noticed them. If he was noticing them, then the mood changes were getting worse again. And that was a bad thing. Maybe that was why Felicia seemed to be so skittish around him sometimes. Maybe he should just go to Luke's and have a drink.

"Is this seat taken?"

He looked up to find Skye standing there. He waved his hand dismissively. "Sure. Have a seat."

She sat down and ordered herself a cup of coffee from the waitress, a girl Frisco hadn't seen the last time he was here. 

"Kelly's is a little low class for you, isn't it, Skye?"

"I happened to be in the neighborhood. All I want is a good cup of coffee." As soon as her coffee arrived, she pulled out her flask and poured some whiskey in the dark liquid. "Want some?" she offered.

"Tempting, but no."

"Sober up, did ya?"

He noticed the slight slur to her words. "Obviously you fell off the wagon again."

"You would too if your husband left you for his ex-girlfriend on your wedding day," she said, sneeringly.

Self-pity, two could play that game, Frisco thought, smirking. "Skye, if you're going to get into who's got the worst life, I can top you twenty times over."

"Sure you don't want any?" she asked temptingly, swaying the flask in front of his face.

He should say no. He wasn't supposed to be drinking. Everything was so screwed up because of his drinking. He shouldn't… He stared at the flask. He wanted a drink so badly. To hell with it, he sighed. He was tired of thinking, analyzing every little thing. He held out his cup. She smiled as she poured some whiskey in his cup. He took a big gulp, grimacing as he tasted the bitter liquid.

Skye watched him drink, smiling conspiratorially. "Good coffee, don't ya think?"

"Whatever, Skye." They sat in silence for a few moments. "So, what do you want?"

"Just thought I'd say hello to my ex-husband."

"Were we even married long enough for you to call me that?"

She shrugged. "Does it really matter?"

"So how's daddy dearest?"

Skye frowned, sadness in her eyes. "I haven't talked to Adam in a while actually," she answered quietly. "How's the little woman?"

"Busy. She's investigating the Alcazar murder."

"I know. She's questioned me a couple times." She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. Frisco felt like he was being sized up. "She doesn't know about us, does she?" Skye asked deviously.

"No," he admitted, shaking his head. "I never told her."

It was strange that he hadn't told Felicia. Skye knew how much he loved his ex-wife. She leaned closer to him and spoke softly. "For a guy that has the lady of his heart back, you sure don't look happy about it."

"I don't have her back."

She looked at him disbelievingly. "I thought she would've been the first thing you went after once you hit town."

Frisco did not want to discuss this again, especially not with her. "How's Jax, Skye?"

He could see understanding appear in her face. "Hint taken."

"Good."

Skye looked down guiltily. "I did have a hidden agenda for sitting down, actually," she said hesitantly.

He sighed. He should've known she wanted something. "What's that?"

"I need your help."

Okay, Frisco hadn't expected that. Help was one thing Skye Chandler never asked for. "Help? With what?"

"Alcazar. Now that Brenda and Jason have been cleared, I'm the prime suspect."

"You want me to find out who really killed him," he finished for her.

"I didn't do it, Frisco! I swear I didn't!" she pleaded with him.

"Skye, I believe you," he assured her. "You're a lot of things, but killer is not one of them."

"So you'll help me?"

He had enough work, he didn't need any more. But he could clearly see that Skye was desperate and he knew Scott Baldwin. The sleazy lawyer would do anything to see her convicted after losing Brenda and Jason. The world was better off without Alcazar, but the real killer needed to be found. If for no other reason than to be thanked for doing humanity a favor.

He knew he was going to regret it, but she needed him. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you! Thank you!" she exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek.

"Down, Skye. Down," he said, amused by the redhead's excitement. That was much closer to the Skye he'd known than the beaten-down alcoholic that had been sitting across from him.

"Well, I need to be going," she said, checking her watch. "I have to meet with Alexis in a few minutes. We'll get together later to talk, right?"

"Yeah," Frisco answered inattentively. He was looking beyond her to the door, where Felicia standing. She was angry. Very angry. He was in trouble.


	14. Chapter 14

Author's notes: Lyrics are "If You Ever Did Believe" by Sheryl Crow & Stevie Nicks. If you don't recognize the second set of lyrics, they're "Premonition" by The Riff Raff (otherwise known as Jack Wagner ;)). Three more chapters up tonight, should be caught up soon! Goblz- thanks!!! I think you're the only one left reviewing this! LOL! No, that mysterious memory has not yet been revealed! You missed out on Sean & Tiffany. Their wedding was the best! And Frisco really is in the doghouse...   


  
  


_You've left me now  
and it's seasoned my soul  
And with every step you take,  
I watch another part of you go..._

_I continue to build a wall...  
You were so strong,  
I fell to my knees...  
And I don't think I can handle this at all... _

Skye turned to see what Frisco was staring at. She smiled, seeing Felicia in the doorway. The wheels turned in her scheming mind, for once thinking of someone else. She glanced back at her ex-husband. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He still wanted his former wife, his first love. And Skye knew exactly how he could get her back.

"I'll see you later, Frisco," she said, kissing him on the cheek again. She slipped by Felicia on her way through the door, smiling smugly. "Hello, Felicia."

The blonde shot her a dirty look and one at her ex-husband. She angrily sat down in the chair that Skye had just vacated. Frisco just looked away uncomfortably, knowing damn well he was dead meat. She tapped her fingers on the table, waiting for an explanation. 

Not receiving one, she decided to confront him. "You want to tell me what that was?"

"She asked me to help her," he answered in a small voice, avoiding her fierce gaze.

"I'm sure she did," Felicia snorted.

"No, seriously! She asked me to help find Alcazar's killer! She's a suspect now, I'm sure you know that."

"Why you?" she asked, raising her voice.

"Why not?" he challenged.

Luke Spencer showed up out of nowhere behind Frisco. "Hey, you two. Why don't you take this somewhere a little more private, huh?" he whispered to the couple.

"Fine," Felicia grunted, stomping to the stairs.

Frisco gave Luke a pained look as he stood up to follow her. "Thanks a lot, Luke," he said sarcastically.

"Aw, she's harmless. Just let her yell and get it out of her system." He slapped himself in the head. "Oh, that's right! Fighting is just foreplay to you two kids!" He punched the younger man's shoulder. "Don't make too much noise, buddy. Don't want to make the sexless people up here jealous."

"Oh, shut up," Frisco said, irritated.

"What'd I say?" Luke asked, watching the younger man walk downstairs.

Frisco sighed as he walked into the basement. He saw the doorway leading into the old club and peered in. "When did they put another room down here?"

"I can't believe you! Skye Quartermaine!" she yelled.

"What? I didn't do anything!" he yelled back.

"You kissed her!"

"She kissed me! On the cheek! That's all, Felicia!" She stared at him, obviously not buying the story. "I agreed to help her. She got excited. Okay?"

"Oh, she got excited alright!"

It suddenly dawned on him where her anger was coming from. "You're jealous," he said, laughing.

She looked offended. "I am not jealous!"

She could be the world's worst liar sometimes. He shouldn't be happy about this, but he couldn't help it. If she was jealous, maybe he still had a chance with her after all. "You are jealous!"

She crossed her arms angrily and looked away from him. "That's ridiculous!"

"You're so jealous you can't see straight! Just like you were with Sam!"

"Fine! I'm jealous!" she admitted, throwing her hands up. "Happy?"

"Yes, actually," he replied smugly. She smacked him. "Hey! What was that for?"

"You are such a jerk!"

"Why?" Frisco demanded. "Because I'm happy that you care enough to be jealous?"

"What about Skye? Are you happy that she's jealous?" Felicia sneered.

"Skye's not jealous! She has no reason to be jealous of you!"

"She's not jealous? I have you, she doesn't! That's reason enough!"

"You have me? Since when? You made it abundantly clear last night that you were just taking what you could get! No tomorrows! That's what you said!"

"I love you, Frisco!"

"I love you, too!"

"Then why the hell did I find you kissing Skye Quartermaine?"

"I already told you!"

"How did she find you? I'm already working on the Alcazar case! She knows that! Why you?"

"She's my ex-wife!"

Felicia stared at him, wide-eyed and shocked. "She's your what?" she asked quietly.

Frisco ran his hands over his face. He hadn't meant to say that. That wasn't the way he wanted her to find out. "She's my ex-wife," he repeated, turning away from Felicia. "It was five years ago, Felicia. We weren't even married that long."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Felicia's voice was shaky and emotional. 

Frisco turned back to the woman that held his heart. He mentally kicked himself when he saw the tears in her eyes, the hurt she wasn't even bothering to hide. "I don't know. I guess I was embarrassed. We were in Vegas, both drunk out of our minds, and eloping seemed like a good idea at the time." He moved closer to her to comfort her, but she moved away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I… I just didn't know how."

"How could you marry her?"

"I told you, we were drunk." He saw her wipe away a tear. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I'm sorry it even happened. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Is this how you felt?"

"When?"

"When you found out I was engaged to Mac. Did it feel like your heart was being ripped out?"

His head dropped and he closed his eyes. "Yes."

She turned to him, tears streaming down her face. "I guess I know how you feel now, knowing I was with someone else all those years."

"Yeah, I guess you do." He pulled her to him, hugging her close. She resisted, but stopped when he wouldn't let go. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered, kissing her hair and letting her cry in his arms. "I am so sorry."

They stood like that for a few minutes, before Luke's booming voice floated to the cellar.

"Hey, I don't hear any heavy breathing down there!"

"Oh, for pete's sake, Luke!" Frisco yelled back up at the older man, never wanting to hit anyone so much in his life. He'd had no idea how annoying one man could be.

Felicia tore herself from his arms and wiped her face, trying to compose herself. "I think you should stay at Tony's tonight."

"Felicia…" he pleaded, reaching for her.

"No, Frisco. Don't. I just want to be alone right now. Go stay with your brother," she told him, rushing up the stairs. The only thing Frisco could do was watch her leave.

He wanted to kick himself. He should have told her a long time ago, he should've told her when he came home. Secrets always came back to haunt him, so why the hell had he kept it to himself? Why couldn't he keep from screwing everything just once in his life? 

"Damn it!" he yelled, kicking the closest cardboard box.

Luke came down the stairs and looked between the dented box and the dejected spy. "You want to explain to me why your wife just left crying?" he asked, concerned.

"Ex-wife and I screwed up, that's what happened," Frisco answered tersely. He walked into the old speakeasy and pulled a chair off one of the tables. He sat down, putting his head in his hands and trying to control his emotions. 

Luke pulled a chair down and sat next to him. "How exactly did you screw up this time?"

"I didn't tell her about Skye."

The older man tensed hearing the other woman's name. "You're not cheating on Felicia, are you? 'Cause if you are, me and you are going to have a little problem."

Frisco shook his head. "No, there's nothing going on, but she wouldn't believe me."

"What made her think there was?"

"She saw Skye kiss me." He looked at his friend. "It was only on the cheek, I swear, Luke. Skye was just happy. I told her I'd help clear her name. Baldwin's gunning for her after what happened with Brenda and Jason."

"Something tells me that's not what your little woman was so upset about."

"I was married to Skye. I never told Felicia. That's what she's really mad about."

"I see," Luke said, nodding in thought. "Frankly, I don't see you and Ms. Quartermaine together."

"I'm surprised we lasted as long as we did. Hell, we were only married for a month, two weeks of which we were blasted." He sat back in the chair. "Really, Felicia has no right to be upset."

"Why is that?"

"It was five years ago," Frisco explained. "She was with Mac then. She married him. She's got no right being pissed when she finds out I wasn't sitting at home pining over her."

"How did you feel when you found out about Mac?" Luke asked skeptically.

"The same as she does now," Frisco scoffed. "And she lectured me for it."

"I guess she's eating those words now, huh?"

"Yeah." Frisco stood and faced his old friend. He recognized the haunted look in the older man's eyes. It was the same haunted look he saw in his own every time he looked in the mirror. "She asked me if that was how I felt. Now she knows and she kicked me out."

"She kicked you out?"

Frisco nodded. "She told me to go stay with Tony."

"You two ever make up after that little argument at my club?"

"Nope."

"You need a place to stay?" Luke asked, standing.

"Nah, I'll give him a call." Frisco sighed. "I probably should call him anyway. All else fails, I've got a bed back at the new WSB base. Thanks anyway."

Luke smiled. "You want to go back to the club and get a drink?"

Frisco wanted a drink and he wasn't strong enough to fight it now. Besides, he'd already fallen off the wagon with Skye. What difference did it make now? "Yeah, why not," he said.

"Well, let's go," Luke said, making up for his friend's lack of enthusiasm. 

~*~

"Can't get to sleep, it doesn't matter what I do, walking the streets, with every step I think of you. I know it sounds insane, but I think my life has changed, there's nothing I can do I know I've got to see it through..." Frisco sang drunkenly. He looked at the numbers on the doors, counting down to his brother's apartment, which was the door he was currently standing in front of.

He knocked on the door, still singing. "I'm getting a premonition, the writing's on the wall. Intuition, I can hear the call…"

Tony opened his door to find his brother barely capable of standing. "You've gotten yourself into quite a state, haven't you?"

"You sound like Dad, old man," Frisco said, tripping into the apartment. "I'm just drunk."

Tony shut the door, sighing loudly. He looked at his kid brother on the floor and shook his head. "I thought you didn't drink."

"To hell with that. Life is much nicer when I'm drunk," Frisco whined, feebly picking himself up off the floor.

"What happened?" Tony asked, leading his brother to a chair.

"I don't need your help!" the younger brother yelled, yanking his arm away from his brother and managing only to fall on the couch. He pulled himself up to a sitting position and meekly tried to kick off his shoes. Tony kneeled next to his brother and reached for the shoes. Frisco let his brother remove his shoes for him. "Felicia dumped me," he whispered sadly.

"Why?"

"Skye." Frisco leaned his head back on the couch. "Now she knows how I felt, watching her with whatshisface."

Tony sat on the couch next to Frisco. "You mean Mac."

"Yeah, him. I don't like him. He lived my life."

"You left."

"Details, details. It was still my life."

"I'm not going to argue with you. Not until you sober up," Tony said, standing up to get Frisco a pillow.

"I don't want to sober up. I like drunk."

"Go to sleep, Andrew."

"Don't call me Andrew! I hate Andrew! I'm not Andrew anymore!" Frisco yelled.

Tony stared at his younger brother. He hated seeing him like this. He wondered what happened to the little kid that used to follow him around, wanting to be a part of everything he did. "You'll always be little Andy to me."

Frisco lifted his head, the hurt painfully evident in his face. "Kiss my ass, Saint Anthony."

"I hate it when you call me that."

"Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony!"

"Shut up, Andrew!" Tony threw a pillow and a blanket at his kid brother. "Get some sleep, so you'll be well-rested for your hangover tomorrow."

"I won't have a hangover. I have to work," he said matter-of-factly.

"Tell me that again when you're hugging the toilet, little brother," Tony said, turning off the light and walking into his bedroom to go to bed.


	15. Chapter 15

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Dance Without Sleeping" by Melissa Etheridge.

  


_I don't want to talk about it  
I've done enough I think  
I don't want to spend more money  
Don't want another drink  
I would scratch out all the images  
If I had the chance  
Don't ask me what I'm thinking  
Can't you see I only want to dance_

_Dance without sleeping  
Dance without fear  
Dance without senses no message I hear  
Dance without sleeping  
Dance till I'm numb  
Dance till I think I can overcome _

Tony was drinking coffee and reading the paper when he heard his brother stir. Groan painfully was more like it. He watched his brother try to sit up, his eyes squeezed tightly shut to block out what was probably uncomfortably bright light.

"Good morning, sunshine," Tony said all too cheerily.

"Fuck you," Frisco mumbled.

"How's the head, little brother?"

He turned back to look at his smiling brother. Tony was having way too much fun with this, Frisco decided. "It hurts."

"You want some food?"

His stomach churned. "I think I'm going to be sick." Tony opened his mouth to speak, but Frisco knew what was coming. "Don't even say it."

"I told you so," Tony said with an amused laugh.

"Kiss my ass."

"I think I'll leave that to Felicia."

"Oh, shut up," Frisco said, laying back down and putting the pillow back over his head. Through the geese that gave their lives so he'd have something nice to lay his head on, he heard his older brother laughing at him.

~*~

Frisco slipped into the base, hoping his lateness wouldn't be noticed. Reaching his office, the door was ajar. Shit. Of course this would be the one day Lansing would be on time.

"Agent Lansing," he said entering the room.

"Agent Jones," the other agent answered, standing. "I think this is a first. I beat you into the office."

Frisco was not amused. The last thing he needed to deal with this morning was a sarcastic agent. "Got the goods on Corinthos yet, Lansing?" he asked authoritatively, sitting in his chair.

"No, I'm still working on getting in. Mr. Corinthos is incredibly distrustful of strangers."

"Of course he's distrustful! He's a mobster! What do you expect? That he'd welcome you with open arms?" Ric knew better than to answer. He hadn't worked with Jones much, just enough to find out the experienced agent was a perfectionist and demanded as much from the agents underneath him. Basically, get on Frisco Jones' bad side and he could make your life a living hell. It was better to just shut up and take the lecture, rather than argue with him. "Make something happen, Lansing, or I will remove you from this case and send you back to Boston for reassignment."

"How far are you suggesting I go, sir?"

Frisco wanted to smack him. Lansing had been on the job long enough to know what 'make something happen' meant. He was just being a smart ass. "Well, I'm not suggesting killing anybody, yet," Frisco said sarcastically, "but anything short of that is okay with me. His wife is his weak point. I won't object if you choose to exploit that weakness."

Ric smiled mockingly. "I'm sure you wouldn't."

Frisco leaned towards the agent angrily. "What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, trying to keep his emotions in check so he could stay in control of the situation. A skill Robert Scorpio would be proud to know he'd finally learned.

"Didn't your brother have an affair with Carly that ended with him kidnapping the kid and Morgan's girlfriend?"

"Your point?"

Ric shrugged. He'd already gotten underneath his boss' skin, no need to make it worse. "No point."

The older agent knew very well what Ric was suggesting. "You think I'm doing this because of Tony."

"No, you're right," Ric acknowledged. "Carly is Sonny's weakness."

Frisco watched his agent's reaction, trying to decide if Lansing was going to be a problem. He never tolerated sloppy work and he wasn't about to accept it in this case. He had too much riding on it. This was his town, his family's town. Corinthos was going down. He would just have to wait and see what Lansing could produce.

"Failure will not be tolerated. Understand?" Ric grudgingly nodded. Frisco sat back in his new chair. "You're dismissed, Agent Lansing."

~*~

Frisco looked around the hallway, making sure the coast was clear. He pulled out his lock picking tools and got to work on the lock to Alcazar's hotel room. Since the management would not allow them into the room, per PCPD orders they said, he would just have to break in.

"What is taking so long?" Skye asked, irritated.

He suddenly remembered why they had split up in the first place. "Just keep a look out, Skye. I don't want to get arrested for breaking into a goddamn crime scene, okay?"

"Fine."

The lock gave in easily and Frisco opened the door. "Ta da!"

"Wow, you managed to pick a lock! You're such a genius!" she said sarcastically and smiled sweetly, walking into the suite.

He rolled his eyes. "Did anyone tell you it's not nice to insult your knight in shining armor?"

"Knight in shining armor?" She turned, hands on her hips. "You've certainly got a high opinion of yourself."

He smirked and put his hands in his pockets. "You can take care of this on your own, then."

Her confident and bitchy demeanor disappeared. "Frisco, I didn't kill Alcazar," she pleaded desperately.

Frisco sighed. This wasn't the Skye he remembered. "Skye, I believe you."

"You have to help me! I don't have anyone else to turn to!"

"What about Jax?" he asked.

She hung her head sheepishly. "He hates me for what I did to Brenda."

"What did you do to Brenda?" 

"I testified against her. I wanted her convicted." She put her hair behind her ear. "Hell, I wanted her to get the death penalty for breaking up me and Jax."

"But you told the truth on the stand, right?"

"Of course!" she said defensively.

He shrugged. "Then he's a dumbass."

"Gee, thanks, Frisco. That's says a lot for my taste."

He rolled his eyes again. He hated when she got all melodramatic like this. "Don't be like that, Skye. He chose a woman who treats him like the consolation prize and it doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Thus," he said, gesturing grandly, "he's a dumbass not worthy of Skye Chandler's time."

"Then why do I still love him, genius?"

"Because you're a lovesick, self-pitying idiot like me," he answered with a resigned sigh.

"Wonderful. Just wonderful."

This conversation wasn't getting them anywhere and they had come here for a purpose. "Why don't you tell me what happened the night Alcazar was murdered."

She walked towards the bedroom. "I was drunk. I don't remember much."

He glanced to the balcony doors. An image of curtains blowing in the wind flashed in his mind. "Let's start with what you do remember."

"I remember hearing Brenda arguing with Alcazar. I looked out and saw her stab him." Skye looked around as she spoke, as if she was piecing it together in her mind at the same time. 

Frisco followed her gaze, memories flashing through his mind. Brenda and Jason in the hallway. The clothes on the sofa. The dark figure on the balcony. Just like that dream. A chill went down his spine. The thought finally occurred to him that he might have been here that night. 

"I moved away from the door. I heard some noise and I looked out again…" she stopped, lost in thought. "There was someone else here," Skye said, turning to him and smiling.

  



	16. Chapter 16

Author's notes: Lyrics are "I Will Not Go Quietly" by Don Henley.

  


_I'm brave enough to be crazy  
I'm strong enough to be weak  
I see all these heroes with feet of clay  
Whose mighty ships have sprung a leak  
And I want you to tell me darlin'  
Just what do you believe in now? _

"How much progress do you think I've made, Doc?" Frisco asked Kevin before they started their session.

"How much do you think you've made?"

"Do you always answer a question with a question?"

"Do you?" Frisco rolled his eyes, which amused Kevin. It was childish, reminded him more of a rebellious teenager, but so totally Frisco. "It's not something I can give you a definitive answer on, Frisco. Only you can answer that question. How do you feel about your progress?"

Frisco frowned. "I don't think I'm doing too good."

"Why?"

"My moods are going wacky again. I'm feeling depressed more often than not. Sometimes for really silly reasons, sometimes for no reason at all." I started drinking again, his mind said but the words never made it to his lips. Damn it all to hell, he didn't want to dig through all these old ghosts. It was just stirring up feelings that were dead and buried. He took a deep breath. "This is too difficult, Kevin."

"I warned you that this would be difficult at first, that things would get worse before they got better. Don't give up yet."

"What's all this leading to? Why all the questions about my family? We haven't even talked about the stuff I've had problems dealing with."

"On the contrary. I think your issues started in your childhood."

"Well, yeah, I know that. But what does that have to do with my PTSD?"

"I think the PTSD developed long before you came to Port Charles. What you went through with the WSB just compounded it, made it more noticeable to you. From what you've told me, you suffered several traumatic events during critical stages of emotional development with little family support. You never learned to deal with your emotions. I believe that's why you run away every time things get difficult."

"That's nice to know," he said, rolling his eyes.

Kevin sighed and looked at his patient scoldingly. "Correcting those behaviors are just going to take time. We're going to rehash a lot of painful memories, but we will get through them."

"I don't think I can stand much more of this."

The psychiatrist wanted to reach out to him, seeing the pain that permeated Frisco's very being. "I think you can stand more than you think you can."

"I'm glad one of us believes that, Doc."

Kevin smiled. "You need to learn to have more faith in yourself. You're all too quick to blame yourself for things beyond your control. Felicia may call it ego, but in your case, I call it bad self-esteem."

Felicia. Frisco sighed, her words still echoing through his mind. "Can we not talk about my ex-wife?"

"Did something happen?" Kevin asked, confused and concerned. 

"She kinda dumped me."

"Why?" Kevin asked, surprised. He knew how much Felicia meant to the other man and how much he must be hurting.

Frisco tensed, like a child being caught in a lie and scolded. "I kinda forgot to tell her she wasn't my only ex-wife."

"And now she's hurt and angry," Kevin finished the thought, rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. He looked back at the spy, giving him a halfhearted smile. "Way to go, Frisco."

"Yeah," Frisco answered repentantly. "It was a long time ago, Kevin. It's over between me and Skye. We weren't really anything to begin with."

"So what did Felicia get upset with?"

"Skye kissed me on the cheek at Kelly's. I had just agreed to help her out, she was happy. That's all. But Felicia didn't believe me. She told me to go stay with my brother."

Kevin raised his eyebrows at the mention of Frisco's older brother. "How are you and Tony getting along?"

"He's as bossy and controlling as ever," Frisco scoffed.

Kevin laughed. "Back to normal, in other words."

Frisco shrugged. "Pretty much. He always forgives me eventually."

"I thought you were mad at him."

Frisco rolled his eyes. Details, details. "Okay, I always forgive him eventually. It's all the same."

"That's good. I think you need your brother."

"Well, don't tell him that. Wouldn't want it going to his head."

"Our secret, I promise," Kevin said. "Let's talk more about your father."

"I'd rather not."

"What did you and him do together?" Frisco was confused. "You two did spend time together, didn't you?"

"Sometimes. I was more of a momma's boy." He shrugged. "We used to work on his cars. He liked classic cars. Tony was never interested, I was. Dad used to let me help him sometimes."

"Sounds good. What else?"

"Um," Frisco said, thinking. They really didn't do much alone together. It had always been family stuff or Frisco had tagged along when their father had taken Tony somewhere. "We used to watch TV together. We both liked football."

"What did he do with Tony?"

Almost subconsciously, Frisco dropped his head slightly, dejected. "He used to take Tony to all sorts of places. Baseball games, Putt-Putt, the car show. Sometimes he let me tag along. Dad always helped him with his homework, not that Tony ever needed it. He was the smart one."

"Doesn't sound like your father spent much time with you."

Frisco shrugged. "Like I said, I was a momma's boy," he answered, his voice perking up some.

"Your mother spent a lot of time with you?"

"All the time. My mom was great," he said with a sad smile. "She used to take us to museums and plays and concerts, anything Tony or I wanted to do. She was the one that taught me music. We used to jam for hours, just me and her. She was a lounge singer before she had me."

"She didn't keep singing after she had you?" 

"No," Frisco answered, shaking his head. "She had two kids, she thought she was needed more at home when I was little. She was going to go back, but then she got sick."

"She sounds like she was a wonderful mother," Kevin said, smiling. "How did you feel when your father spent so much time with Tony?"

Frisco shrugged, trying to act like it didn't bother him as much as it did. "Didn't really think about it. I had Mom."

Kevin raised an eyebrow in doubt. "I'm not buying it."

Frisco held firm. That was what he believed, and he wasn't about to let some shrink talk him out of it. "Believe what you want, Kevin. It didn't bother me."

Kevin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his legs. "You can tell me that all you want, but I don't believe it for one second. You don't act like it doesn't bother you. I think it did bother you."

Frisco rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Okay, so it bothered me. So what? What difference does it make now? He's been dead for almost twenty years."

"Does it still bother you?"

"No!" Frisco answered, nearly yelling. He closed his eyes, realizing how close to the surface his emotions really were. Not that it mattered. The old man was dead, the whole conversation was pointless. "It's over. He's gone, I'm grown up."

"Okay…" Kevin trailed off, not believing him, but chose to let it go. "What was the rest of your relationship like?" Frisco shrugged, making Kevin want to deck him. He hated that gesture, especially from this particular patient. It was far too easy for him to shrug rather than articulate his feelings. "Frisco, I'd like an answer. A real one, not just a shrug. From here on out, shrugging is hereby banned from this office."

"It was fine, Doc," Frisco answered, a little too cheery and defensive for Kevin.

Kevin sighed. His patient was shutting down again, which meant he'd hit on something. He made a note of it, knowing he wasn't going to get much more out of Frisco today. There was so much built up, so many walls, a lifetime of defense mechanisms to work through. Kevin wasn't sure he was up for this either. A difficult patient was bad enough, but one that wouldn't trust him… It suddenly dawned on the psychiatrist. Trust. He'd hit on something alright. "You can't stand trusting people, can you?" he asked.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Every time I hit a nerve, you shut down. Frisco, this isn't going to work if you don't trust me. Opening up is the only way you're going to get better."

"No, the only way I'm going to get better is talking about something relevant. Not digging through the skeletons in my closet." Frisco frowned. "I had a rotten childhood. I got that. I don't want to revisit it, okay? I don't care if that's where you think I got screwed up. It's not helping anything."

"Frisco, we just got started. Of course it hurts and it's not helping. But it will. There is no quick fix, no instant results. It's just going to take time."

"I don't have time to wait for you to work your magic," he said frustratedly.

"I'm no magician. You're the one who has to work the magic," Kevin replied, pointing at the other man, equally as frustrated. "The sooner you realize that and let me in, let me help you, the sooner you'll start healing."

"I think we're done for today, Doc. Tell Lucy I said hello," Frisco said, smiling, and left the office.

~*~

Frisco guiltily pulled out a small bottle of Jack Daniels from his pocket and took a long drink. He knocked on the door hesitantly. This was the first time he'd seen Felicia since their argument at Kelly's and he wasn't sure what to feel. No, strike that. He knew how he felt, but he didn't think he should feel like that. He had nothing to feel guilty for. Granted, he should've told her, but they were apart and she was with somebody else at the time. No reason for her to be jealous, no reason at all. He was innocent in this mess.

Yeah, and he owned some nice ocean front property in Kansas.

Felicia opened the door, smiling uneasily at her ex-husband. "Hi, Frisco."

"Hi, Felicia."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm good." She moved away to let him pass, closing the door behind him. "The girls, um, should be home from school soon." 

The two stood in the entryway for a few tense moments, neither really knowing what to say.

"I really am sorry for not telling you about Skye," Frisco finally said, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry for getting so mad. I didn't really have a reason to."

"No," he shook his head, "you were right. I should've told you."

"I should believe you when you said there isn't anything going on."

"What do you mean 'should'? You still don't believe me?" he asked cautiously.

"I saw it in your faces, the way she smiled when she left." Frisco laughed, confusing her. "Why are you laughing?"

He bit his lip, trying to hold back his amusement. "She owes me 20 bucks now. I was right."

Felicia crossed her arms angrily. "About what?"

"You," he answered, moving closer to her. "She was trying to make you jealous. We had just been talking about you, about us. She thought if she made you think you had competition, you'd fight to get me back."

"And what did you think?"

"You'd be upset with me and kick me to the curb," he said with a sigh. "I was right, she was wrong."

"You certainly didn't think that way about Sam."

"Different circumstances. Sam wasn't an ex-wife and she never kissed me. We weren't in limbo then like we have been since I came back." Frisco glanced down and put his hands in his jeans pockets nervously. "I know you, Felicia. If you even remotely thought I might be cheating on you, together or not together, you'd dump me. And you did."

She didn't answer him, choosing to change the subject instead. "How's Tony?"

"Good," he answered. "On a date tonight, actually."

"I didn't know he was seeing anybody. Who is it?"

He grinned secretively. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She glared playfully at him. "Don't make me go ask Amy."

"Come on, don't you think if Amy had anything, the whole town would know by now?"

"Yeah, you're right. She would've said something, unless…" she trailed off, lights coming on in her mind.

"Unless what?"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, the realization hitting her. "He's out with Amy, isn't he?"

"I'm not going to tell you!"

"Tony and Amy! I never would've guessed!"

"Yeah, well, I wasn't supposed to say anything. They're not ready for the whole town to know."

"Keep my mouth shut, in other words," she finished bemusedly.

"Yeah." They fell silent again. "I'm going to go pack," he said timidly, heading upstairs. He entered the guest bedroom and began gathering his few belongings.

This was what he had to show for his life, he thought with a snide laugh. A couple weeks worth of clothes, an old guitar, a few photos and a gun, plus a few boxes of records that he'd left with his brother when he'd left the last time. What a wonderful life.

Felicia followed him into the room and sat on the bed, watching him pack what little he'd actually unpacked. Seeing him starting to wad up his clothes, she grabbed the clothes he had in his hands and started folding. "How are you really doing, Frisco?" she asked.

"I'm alright." 

"Things still going well with Kevin?" she asked.

"I guess so," he answered noncommittally, letting Felicia take care of the clothes and moving on to his other stuff.

"Is that your final answer?"

"I don't think he's doing me any good. All he ever wants to talk about is my parents and Tony and what a rotten childhood I had."

"You didn't have a rotten childhood."

"Tell him that. He makes it sound like my parents were the worst on the planet."

"I'm sure he's going somewhere with it. He's good at playing devil's advocate."

Frisco sat down next to her. "He told me today that he thinks my PTSD came from my childhood and not the crap the WSB has put me through."

"What do you think?"

"Now you sound like him. He's always asking me what I think."

"So, what do you think?"

He shrugged. "I don't know what I think. He's supposed to be helping me through my problems, not digging around trying to find problems. I've got enough problems without bringing up my mother's death or Dad and Rita or Saint Anthony the perfect son…"

"Maybe he's got a point," she replied.

"What?" he asked, not quite sure he heard her correctly. She just couldn't agree with Kevin.

"Maybe he has a point," she repeated. "You can't talk about either of your parents without getting upset. You hate talking about your family, even Tony. I won't even get into how you acted when Rita was here."

Huh? What did that have to do with anything? "How I acted when Rita was here?" he asked, disbelieving.

"Yes! You acted like a spoiled child! You yelled at her the second she walked in the door. You spied on her. You called her a hooker…"

"She was blackmailing men she'd slept with!"

"You didn't know that at the time! You hated her for just being Rita!" She sighed. "Frisco, all I'm saying is maybe Kevin is right. Tony pretty much said the same thing to Mac after you left."

"So, you and Tony agree with him?" he asked pointedly.

"Give it a chance, Frisco."

"I am giving it a chance! I'm still going, I'm still answering his pointless questions!"

"But you don't believe in what he's doing."

She knew him too well. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine. When are you supposed to move into the townhouse?" she asked, changing the subject.

"The work won't be done for another couple weeks. So, I'm stuck on Tony's couch in the meantime."

"Heard you've been hanging out at Luke's."

Frisco was going to kill his brother. Couldn't they just talk to him instead of comparing notes behind his back? "I've been there twice since I got back! Once with Tony and then with Luke the other day. I wouldn't call that hanging out," he answered defensively.

The conversation ended when they heard the commotion of the two girls running up the stairs to their rooms.

"Mom?" Maxie yelled down the hallway.

"Yes?" Felicia answered.

Maxie stuck her head into the guest room and frowned when she saw her father. "Dad," she acknowledged in mock politeness.

"How was school, kiddo?" he asked, nervous after seeing her coldness towards him. If he was honest with himself, Georgie was the one in this house who actually wanted to see him.

"Fine. Mom, can I go out with Lucas and some other kids from school tonight?"

Frisco sighed. She'd forgotten, or she didn't want to go with him tonight. Either way, it hurt. "I thought we were going to the movies tonight? Me, you and Georgie."

"Come on, one of the football players is having a party!" the teen pleaded.

Frisco and Felicia glanced at each other, both looking to the other for approval and finding only indecision. He sighed again. He was the bad guy, he'd always been the bad guy. He wanted to spend time with his daughters and if Maxie went to a party, he wouldn't get to see her. He might as well be the bad guy now. She couldn't possibly hate him more than she already did. "No. We already made plans for tonight. You can go out with Lucas and your friends tomorrow night."

"But Dad! Everybody's going to be there!"

Oh great, teenage angst, something Frisco remembered well. He was definitely going to be the bad guy for this. "You see them every day at school, and you're probably going to see them tomorrow night. You can sacrifice one night to spend with your old man and your little sister."

"Mom!" 

Felicia knew Frisco was trying and they needed time together, something they wouldn't get if she let Maxie go out with her friends. "You and Georgie agreed to go with your father tonight. What he says goes. You can go out tomorrow night."

Maxie looked at her mother pleadingly and found no support. "I hate you!" she yelled at Frisco. She turned and stomped back to her room, slamming the door.

"Like I didn't see that one coming," he muttered, going back to stuffing the clothes Felicia had neatly folded into his duffel bag.

Felicia patted him on the back. "Keep at it. You'll get through to her eventually."

"Yeah, right," he said quietly, unconvinced, as Felicia left.


	17. Chapter 17

Author's notes: Lyrics "The Living Daylights" by A-Ha (yeah, yeah, another Bond song). This chapter might be a little disturbing, it gets a little gory. Goblz- sorry about all the updates! I'm just trying to get caught up! Thanks for your comments! I've been trying to keep in character, but Luke is the hardest to write! I'm not as good at the one liners as Tony Geary is! LOL!  
  


  
  


_Hey driver, where are we going?  
I swear, my nerves are showing  
Set my hopes up way too high  
The living's in the way we die_

"Tell another one, Daddy!" Georgie exclaimed, jumping excitedly on her father.

Frisco sighed tiredly. The girl's liveliness was cute, but exhausting. "No more stories, sweetie."

"Aw, come on, Daddy! Please!" she pleaded, pouting.

He tried not to laugh, she was so cute. He was glad Felicia let him have their daughters tonight. His time had been limited since he came home. Even living in the same house, he hadn't been able to spend much time alone with them. There were always other things that needed to be done, his job still dominating his life. But tonight was theirs. His chance to start getting to know his girls.

Maxie wasn't as excited as her sister. She'd been moody all evening. "He said no, Georgie," she snapped.

"Shut up, Maxie! You're not the boss! He can tell another story if he wants to!" Georgie yelled back at the teen, standing up.

Maxie stood as well, getting in the younger girl's face. "He told you no!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" he said loudly, separating the girls. "No fighting!" Both girls returned to their seats, Georgie next to Frisco, Maxie a few feet away. "Maxie, quit bossing your sister around. It's not nice. And Georgie, no more stories for tonight." The younger girl pouted disappointedly. "If I tell you all my stories tonight, I won't have any for later," he assured her.

She perked up at the sound of more stories. "Okay," she said, snuggling close to Frisco. Maxie rolled her eyes. Frisco caught a glance of his older daughter. He chuckled. They were the same as he and Tony were. He wondered if he annoyed his older brother as much as Georgie annoyed Maxie, intended or not. Another chuckle, knowing damn well he still annoyed his brother that much.

"Now that that's settled, which movie do you guys want to watch?" he asked, picking up the bag of DVDs he'd just bought for them. 

"Spy Kids!" Georgie eagerly suggested.

"No!" Maxie whined.

"I think I get enough spy stuff at work," Frisco mumbled, just as his cell phone started ringing. He groaned. He should have turned the damn thing off so no one could get through on his one night off. He picked up the small phone. "Jones," he growled. "This better be important."

He squeezed his eyes shut, listening to the voice on the other end. "Can't this wait?" He ran a hand through his hair. Even on his night off, he couldn't get away from work. "Alright, I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Oh, goody! Daddy gets to go to work!" Maxie sneered.

Frisco glared at her. "There's no need for the attitude, Maxie." He sighed. "Yeah, I have to go to work. I'm sorry, girls."

Georgie smiled sadly. "It's okay, Daddy. We understand."

"Gee, I guess we'll have to go to Mac's," Maxie said, a little too happily for her father's tastes.

"No, Mac is working tonight, too," he informed her, smiling slightly. "Get your stuff, girls. I'm going to take you home."

~*~

Frisco slipped by the officers, flashing his badge. He'd been called to a house just outside of Port Charles. A bloody crime scene that had implications for the Bureau, Sam had told him on the phone. The yard was swarming with cops. He walked into the house hesitantly and suddenly realized why so many officers were outside. The sickly sweet stench of death was overwhelming. Blood covered the walls and the floor, furniture overturned, objects destroyed almost randomly. The first body was still lying on the floor, practically decapitated. He'd seen dead bodies before, more than he cared to remember, but he hadn't felt this physically ill since his first murder case. He moved carefully through the rooms looking for Mac, not wanting to contaminate any of the physical evidence. He passed a second body in the kitchen. The scene was the same, the victim slaughtered, blood still dripping from the cabinets. 

He caught a glimpse of Sam. He worked his way around the crime scene teams to where he had seen his former partner. She must have ducked into a room, he figured.

"Agent Jones, what are you doing here?" 

Frisco turned to find Taggart behind him. "I'm looking for Mac and Sam."

"They're back there," the detective answered, pointing to the rooms Frisco had been heading towards. "Come on."

Taggart moved around him and Frisco followed. Mac and Sam were standing and talking over another body. This scene was different than the others. Drawers were emptied, their contents strewn across the floor, obviously searched through, and there was no blood except for what had pooled around the victim's head, the result of a single gunshot wound to the temple. 

"Look who's here," Taggart told his boss, his voice laced with territorial attitude. Mac was surprised to see the agent there. Obviously Sam had not informed the commissioner she'd called him. Thanks a lot, Frisco told his former partner silently.

"Frisco," Mac said curtly. "What brings you here? This is PCPD jurisdiction."

He glanced at Sam, one eyebrow raised. "I was told there was something for the WSB here."

"Over here, Frisco," Sam said awkwardly, walking to the far side of the room, an evidence bag in her hand. She handed him the bag and pointed to a spot on the floor. "It was found here. Tracer, secured channels, the works," she told him in a low voice.

He examined the phone. He recognized it instantly. It was WSB issue. He had the same phone in his pocket. Through the plastic, he turned it on.

"You two mind tell the rest of us what's going on?" Mac asked, joining the secret agents.

"It's WSB issue," Frisco answered distractedly, searching through the phone's menus.

"What are you doing?" Mac asked dejectedly, watching Taggart and Sam leave to deal with other evidence.

"Looking for an ID number. I've got my laptop in the car. I can find out who the phone belongs to if I can find the number."

He flipped through several menus, not finding what he was looking for. It shouldn't be this hard to find the number. Frisco knew where it was located. Was he just looking in the wrong place? He pulled out his own phone and did the same search. His ID number was easily found, exactly where he thought it should be. The phone left at the scene didn't have a number.

He closed his eyes, a pit forming in his stomach. He went to the speed dial list. There was only one number. A number he had seen only that morning in the paperwork Sean had left him as a new region chief. A number that was not common knowledge in the Bureau because it had only one use. It was solely for black box missions.

"Frisco?"

Mac was staring at him, concerned. He met the other man's eyes, not sure of how to handle this situation. "When your guys finish up here, we'll take over. This is now WSB jurisdiction," Frisco told him with as much authority as he could muster. 

"This is a triple murder. What makes this a WSB case?"

"Got prints off the vics yet?"

"Answer my question first."

Frisco looked around, seeing if anyone was within earshot. "This is between you and me. Nothing official. You can tell no one. Got it?" Mac reluctantly nodded his understanding. "Almost every WSB phone has an ID number programmed into it. This one doesn't. There's only one number in speed dial. It's a throwaway phone. This was an ordered hit."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Pretty sure. I'll call Sean and verify as soon as I know who the vics are." 

Mac was irritated, Frisco noticed with some amusement. But the commissioner was between a rock and a hard place. This case was out of his jurisdiction. Frisco handed the phone back. "Do whatever you have to do here to clear the case. I'll let you know when I need the evidence, Mac."

"So that's it? You just come in and take over? I'm just supposed to move out of your way?"

Frisco knew there was more to that statement than just this case, whether Mac meant it that way or not. He shook his head, not wanting to deal with a jealous stepfather now. "Sorry, Mac, but this isn't your jurisdiction. Do what you have to close it on your end, but as soon as you finish with the crime scene, this is no longer the PCPD's problem. Let me know when the coroner gets the prints."

He left the room, examining the scene a little more closely. The whole house had been ransacked, but not like the bedroom. There was no sense to it. Like an afterthought to cover the crime. The two slaughtered victims bothered him. Making a hit look like a robbery or some other crime wasn't unusual. But to kill the way these two had been… That wasn't Bureau policy. Two gunshots and it would be over in no time. This… This took time. Time an assassin wouldn't have taken.

"Now you know why I called you," Sam said, joining him near the second body.

"Something's not right here."

"I know. That's why I asked you to come now, instead of taking it up with Mac later."

"Were these two," he gestured to the first two bodies, "killed before or after the vic in the bedroom?"

"Not sure. If I had to guess, I'd say after. They interrupted the hit or the exit."

"Why'd they leave the phone at the scene?"

"Interrupted."

"Maybe." He spied Mac and Taggart talking, both glancing toward him. "Sam, how trustworthy is this Taggart guy?"

"He's a good detective. I trust him." She crossed her arms, leaning closer to him and lowering her voice. "A murder like this, it might not be a good idea to keep the PCPD out of the loop. This is going to make the news. People are going to want to know what happened."

"He'd be a good cover, in other words."

"Yes."

Frisco considered her advice. She was right about the public attention and truthfully, he didn't have the agents to spare for a murder investigation. Sam was technically still an agent, she could be called up and although he didn't totally trust Taggart, she did, which was good enough for him. "We're shorthanded at the moment. I could definitely use the help. You want the case, Sam?"

"Well, I'm already assigned to it," she replied, shrugging. "I might as well get double pay for it."

"You're officially back on active duty, then. Let's go talk to Mac."

The two agents approached the commissioner and the detective. Frisco simply gestured to the front door and the four went outside.

"Yes, Frisco?"

"I need to borrow a couple of your detectives."

"You need to borrow my detectives?" Mac repeated disdainfully.

"Drop the attitude, Mac," Frisco said irritably. "I need to find out what happened here. I'm a little shorthanded."

"So, who are you suggesting I sacrifice?"

"I'm not suggesting you sacrifice anyone. I just need a couple detectives to work the case. Sam's going back on active duty for this and I'd like to borrow Taggart." Mac looked unconvinced. "Think of it this way, you get another officer with WSB training."

Mac relented. "You'll keep me informed of what's going on?"

Frisco didn't get the chance to answer. Scott Baldwin arrived on the scene, barking orders. "Does he show up to every crime scene?" Frisco asked incredulously.

"The major ones, yes," Mac answered with an aggravated sigh that was matched by his two detectives.

"What's he doing here?" Scott demanded from the police commissioner, pointing to Frisco.

"Good to see you, too, Scotty," Frisco replied mockingly.

"Oh, shut up. This isn't your jurisdiction. Right, Mac?"

The Aussie just shrugged. "It is now."

"What? Since when?"

"Since it involves the WSB, they're taking over the case," he informed the DA. "Welles and Taggart will be working with him."

"I'm the District Attorney. I make those decisions."

"No," Frisco interjected, "the Bureau is taking over this case. Mac is simply cooperating with us by lending us a detective."

"I don't like this."

"No one asked you to like it. You just have to cooperate. And that includes not discussing this with anyone. As far as the public and the press are concerned, the WSB has no involvement. Got that, Baldwin?"

"Why did I get singled out, Bond wannabe?"

"I know you. I remember how trustworthy you are. You get all the attention you want this way, without any the work. Right up your alley."

Scott glanced at the house. "So what's the deal in there?" he asked.

"Three dead bodies. You don't want to go in there."

Scott eyed the spy suspiciously. "That bad?" Frisco nodded. "Wonderful," he mumbled. "By the way," he added to Mac, "Capelli and I arrested Skye Quartermaine for the Alcazar murder. She's being booked as we speak."

Frisco's heart jumped into his throat.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Stand Your Ground" by Robbie Williams.  


_Stand your ground you're big enough  
Stand your ground you know too much  
Today drifts onto tomorrow  
And you could almost taste the sorrow _

Frisco awoke to the sounds of his brother moving around the apartment, getting ready to go to the hospital. He tried to block out the noise and go back to sleep, but the sound of laughing still rang loudly in his ears. And it wasn't his brother's voice laughing.

That was it. The idea of sleep was out the window. Whatever was haunting him, he wasn't going to get any more sleep today because of it. He sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Late night?" Tony asked.

"Yeah."

"When'd you get in?"

Frisco glanced at the clock. "A couple hours ago."

Tony handed him a cup of coffee. "Working or hanging out at Luke's?"

Frisco took a sip and set the cup on the coffee table. "I really wish I could say I was at Luke's. I think last night qualified as one of the worst crime scenes I've been had the misfortune of being called to." He slid down the couch. "I should've just stuck with music."

"You won't get any arguments from me on that one," Tony replied, picking up the paper. "Did you hear about that triple murder yesterday?"

"That was where I was at."

"What happened?" Tony asked nosily.

"Three people were murdered."

"Aw, come on, Frisco! You can tell me something!"

Frisco rolled his eyes. Didn't anyone ever tell his brother that curiosity killed the cat? "We don't know much more than that right now. And even if I did know something, I can't discuss it. You know that."

"Excuse me for being curious!"

"I'm not in the mood, Tony!" Frisco whined moodily. "I gotta go back out there in a little while."

"Was it that bad?"

Frisco nodded tiredly. "Yes, it was," he answered, getting up to take a shower. Time to go back to work.

~*~

The morning was wasted as far as Frisco was concerned. He, Mac, Sam, and Taggart had spent the morning carefully combing through evidence at the scene, but came up pretty much empty. Their next lead was going to depend on identification of the victims. The physical evidence wasn't going to lead them anywhere without a suspect. Even after sleeping on it, this murder still made no sense.

Frisco followed the detectives back to the station after leaving the crime scene. He needed to see Skye. He couldn't imagine what she was going through. She'd told him about her other troubles with the law, including being committed by Tom Cuhady after she kidnapped his lover. She had to be going nuts by now. Especially since she wasn't guilty.

"We'll let you know when all the forensics get back," Mac said dismissively, entering the station.

"Actually, I'd like to see Skye Chandler," Frisco said, following him inside.

Mac turned, obviously irritated with the agent. "What business does the WSB have with her?"

"None. It's personal."

Mac got in the other man's face. "And what kind of personal business is that, Frisco?"

"If you must know, she asked me to help her in this investigation."

"That better be all you're here for."

"No, Mac. I'm going to screw her through the bars," Frisco answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Yes, that's all I'm here for."

"Good. I don't want to see Felicia get hurt."

"I don't either."

"You better not hurt her this time," he warned. "Skye's down in a holding cell. I'm sure you remember where that is."

Frisco nodded and headed towards the stairs that led down to the cellblocks, making sure to display his badge. He shot a commanding glance at the guards when he reached the cell block. The door was opened and he walked through with all the cockiness he could muster.

He walked through the cells until he saw her red hair. "Skye?" he asked, leaning against the bars.

She was lying on the bed, facing away from him. She turned and pulled herself up. "What are you doing here, Frisco?"

"I came to see how you are."

"I'm as good as to be expected, I guess, considering I'm in jail for a murder I didn't commit," She slowly stood, the stress of the situation visibly taking it's toll. "I'm sure my loving family is celebrating as we speak, not to mention my husband and his whore."

"I doubt that."

"Oh, I'm sure. The Quartermaines all hate me, except for Alan and AJ. Daddy can hardly be bothered to defend me to his wife. And nobody listens to AJ."

Frisco just smiled sympathetically. "Well, no one's ever compared the Quartermaines to the Cleavers. You should hear what your dear Aunt Tracy has to say about them."

She walked to where her ex-husband was standing. "If it's anything like what they have to say about my dear Aunt Tracy, I think I'd like to meet her."

Tracy Quartermaine. There was one woman he wouldn't mind never seeing again. "I have met her unfortunately. She's a spitfire, I'll give her that. Last I heard, she was running her late husband's organization."

"What kind of organization?"

He looked up, trying to figure out how to phrase this. "Let's just say, I'm willing to bet Edward's not exactly happy about having two mobsters in the family. Even though the mafia's not terribly far from corporate raiders, when you think about it."

She chuckled, although the smile never quite spread past her lips. "I appreciate you coming to see me."

Frisco reached through the bars and brushed the red hair away from her face. "I'm here for you, Skye." He smiled mischievously. "You owe me, by the way."

"For what?"

"The bet," he answered smugly.

"Who says you won?" she asked defiantly.

He grinned triumphantly. "Felicia did. I was right about her."

"It's not over," she said confidently. "She's just mad right now. She'll wise up and fight for you."

The grin faded. "Not now," he told her, shaking his head. "I told her about the bet."

She sighed in annoyance. "I must say, Frisco, honesty is not one of your better qualities."

"We can't all be manipulative schemers like you, Skye," he replied, smiling scornfully.

"Now, where would you be without me?" she asked sweetly.

He raised an eyebrow, almost unsure of where to start with that question. "Still sleeping in my wife's bed for starters."

"I thought you didn't have her back."

"I didn't."

"Ah, I see," she said understandingly. "Well, think of it this way, it gives you time to work on that pesky relationship of yours."

"Yeah, that's true," he reluctantly admitted.

"Then you should be thanking me!"

"Providing she wants to work on our relationship."

Skye reached through the bars and touched his cheek. "Give her time. She will," she told him softly.

"And what makes you so sure?" he asked quietly.

"I'm a woman, she's woman. Hang out with me long enough and her jealousy will take over. She'll want you back."

Yeah, jealously had done him so much good so far. He'd gong from questioning their relationship to not having Felicia at all. He wasn't going to do that again. "I'm not going to manipulate her like that, Skye."

"Who said anything about manipulating her? All I'm suggesting is that we hang out in public some, assuming I get out of here, of course. Just as friends. Go to dinner, play pool, maybe go dancing. She'll get jealous soon enough."

"I'm not sure I like this idea of yours, Skye. You trying to make her jealous is what got her mad at me in the first place."

"Would you rather stay at home and sulk?" she asked pointedly.

"You don't want the answer to that question."

"Okay, fine," she answered, rolling her eyes. "Then help me get Jax back."

He looked at skeptically. "Why do you want Jackass back?"

"Why do you want Felicia back?"

"I didn't get dumped for a dead lover. He's not worth it, Skye. Just move on."

She crossed her arms, sticking her chin out proudly. "I can't just give up on him. I love him and I won't let Brenda win!"

"Now we get to the truth! You just want to beat Brenda!"

"Fine!" she admitted, throwing up her hands. "I want to beat Brenda!"

"I'm telling you, he's not worth it."

"Are you going to help or not?"

Frisco sighed. He couldn't believe he was agreeing to this. God, she was going to get him in trouble again. "Why don't we worry about getting you out of here first."

Skye smiled triumphantly. "Deal."

~*~

Sneaking into Harborview Towers hadn't been difficult. For a mobster, Sonny Corinthos had no idea what real security was. All Frisco had to do was take the stairs to the roof and drop to the patio of the penthouse. 

He and two other agents had been tracking Corinthos' movements for several days. The mobster was due home any minute with the little woman and the rugrat.

Frisco didn't particular like approaching him with the wife and kid around, but he felt he had a better chance if they were close by. Easier to manipulate Corinthos into doing what he wanted.

He picked the simple lock on the patio doors, shaking his head. Security around here was nil. Bodyguards at the front door, that was pretty much it. He entered the penthouse and looked around. It was different than he remembered. Mac had told him about it being blown up a year or so ago, but he still expected it to look the same it had when Sean lived here, the same it had on his and Felicia's honeymoon. He made himself comfortable on the sofa, flicking on the TV, and waited for the mob boss to return home shortly.

Frisco only had to wait a few minutes. Just as he expected, Sonny came walking through the door with Carly and their son. Frisco turned off the TV, a move that caught the mobster's attention.

"Who the hell are you?" Sonny yelled. "How did you get in here?"

"I have a proposal for you, Mr. Corinthos," Frisco replied calmly.

"I don't care! I want to know who you are and how you got past the guards!"

Frisco pulled out his badge and showed it to the mob boss. "Special Agent Andrew Jones, World Security Bureau."

Sonny grabbed the badge and looked at it. Seeing the same name as the agent gave him, he threw the badge back. "Great. Now how the hell did you get in?"

"The patio," Frisco answered, pointing his thumb towards the door he came in. 

Sonny glanced incredulously at the patio doors. Carly grabbed the phone. "That's breaking and entering. I'm gonna call the cops."

Frisco smirked at the woman, wondering what Tony had ever seen in her. "Go right ahead. Mac will just tell you there's nothing he can do."

"Carly, don't," Sonny ordered. "What do you want?" he asked Frisco.

"Like I said, I have a proposal for you."

"And what's that?"

Frisco glanced at Carly and the child that was watching the scene in confusion. Sonny obviously wasn't going to get rid of them, so he would have to. "Carly, why don't you take the kiddo upstairs."

"Don't order my wife around."

"You really want her and your son around while you do business?"

"I don't do business with the WSB."

"Hear me out," Frisco demanded.

Sonny thought for a moment before answering. "Carly, take Michael upstairs."

To Frisco's surprise, she didn't argue, although she didn't exactly look happy about it either. Totally against everything he'd ever heard about her. As soon as she was gone, Sonny turned back to the agent. "Okay, say what you've got to say and get out."

"I want information."

"So?"

"I'm told that not much happens in Port Charles without you knowing about it. I'm looking for information regarding a group that's operating locally."

"I don't rat out anyone, even my competition, so you're wasting your time and mine."

"This group isn't any competition for you. And it's in your best interests to cooperate."

"If they're not my competition, what are they?"

"Terrorists," Frisco answered coolly. He moved closer to the mobster. "The WSB and the PCPD can only do so much. You know what's going down on your side of the law. I want to know everything this group is stockpiling. If you should hear something suspicious, I want to know about it so our guys can act on it."

"And how do I know you're not going to use this information to charge me with something?"

"Here's the deal. You tell us what we need to know, we don't ask where the information came from. Nothing from this investigation can be used against you." He stepped back, hands on his hips. "However, you are still open to investigation outside of this case," he said, smirking.

"And if I don't help you?"

"Then you'd better pray this group doesn't decide to bomb Kelly's. Or the park. Or the hospital. Or any other place that little boy might go as a practice run for some place bigger."

"You think they're going to attack Port Charles?" Sonny asked, his eyes betraying his sudden concern.

"Not sure, but we're not taking any chances." Frisco headed towards the front door. "Why don't you think about it and get back to me."

The mob boss turned to watch him go. "How am I supposed to get in touch with you?"

"I'll be around," Frisco answered as he walked out of the penthouse, leaving behind a bewildered and disturbed Sonny.


	19. Chapter 19

Author's notes: Lyrics are "My City of Ruins" by Bruce Springsteen. Adding a couple characters to the canvas, so Frisco's universe isn't limited to just his family and the PCPD. If you can't tell, I'm not an Sonny or Carly fan. 

  


_Now there's tears on the pillow  
Darlin' where we slept  
And you took my heart when you left  
Without your sweet kiss  
My soul is lost, my friend  
Tell me how do I begin again?  
My city's in ruins  
My city's in ruins _

A knock on his door woke Frisco with a start. He looked up, rubbing his still sleepy eyes, and saw Sam standing in the open doorway.

"Nice nap?" she asked teasingly.

"Yeah, I guess. I haven't been sleeping well," he said, running his hands over his face.

"Busy?"

"Amongst other things. What brings you by?"

She held up an envelope. "Forensics reports. No IDs on our end."

"Surprise, surprise," he answered, anything but surprised. He'd expected as much.

"Get anything from Sean?" she asked, sitting down.

"He wants the prints first, but he did tell me there was one black box team out."

His grim tone gave no doubt as to what the situation was. "So this was definitely a botched mission?"

"Looks like it," he said, trying vainly to stifle a yawn. He rubbed his eyes again, willing himself to wake up. He really needed to get a good night's sleep. Maybe he'd take a couple sleeping pills tonight. He couldn't go much longer like this.

"Geez, you're really tired," Sam said, really noticing his haggard appearance. He hadn't looked this worn out in years. Not that she'd seen anyway. "Felicia not letting you get any sleep?"

"I'm not staying with Felicia anymore," he answered quietly.

She smiled sympathetically. She knew first hand how much his former wife meant to him. "What happened?"

"Long story. I'd rather not discuss it."

"You okay?" she asked, concerned for her old friend.

Frisco shrugged. "I guess so. I've got plenty of work to keep her off my mind."

"Right, Frisco," Sam said, unconvinced. "Wanna get lunch?"

"Why not? I wasn't getting anything done anyway," he answered, gathering up the papers he'd been using as a pillow. "I can't stay though. Gonna have to work through lunch since I fell asleep." He stood up and grabbed his jacket. "Let's go. Kelly's sound good?"

"Maybe you shouldn't work yourself so hard, Frisco," she said, following him out of his office.

He stared at the floor as they walked down the hallway. "Maybe I should be getting sleep at night," he muttered.

"Still having the nightmares?"

He angrily pushed the button for the elevator. He didn't want to answer Sam's questions, not matter how well intentioned they were. He was tired of everyone else's concerns. But he answered her anyway. "Yeah."

"Are you in therapy?"

The doors opened and the two agents entered. Frisco unconsciously held his breath. He hated elevators. The space is too cramped for his taste, even a large elevator like this. "Twice a week with Kevin Collins."

She reached out and placed her hand on his back, noticing how tense he was. "Is it doing any good?"

The doors opened and he quickly stepped out into the hallway. "I don't know," he answered, looking back at her. "Seems like it's just stirring up more crap."

"Still think you can handle this assignment?"

"Sure, if Sean would give me more agents. We're pretty understaffed here. All the good agents are being sent to Europe and Africa."

"Mac is having the same problem. We're losing good cops to the bigger cities and there's more cases than we can work."

"So I've heard," he said, stepping through the warehouse doors and out into the cold. "We're starting to lose the experienced agents to retirement with local police." Frisco laughed halfheartedly. "Less stress."

"I hear that. When I retired, Sean told me he thought the job was tougher now than ever."

"Can we change the subject? I get enough talk about work at work and with my daughter."

"Georgie really getting you with the questions?" she asked, amused, as they walked along the docks.

Frisco smiled at the mention of his younger daughter. "How'd you guess?"

Sam smiled, giggling a little, remembering the girl's enthusiasm. "She bugged me for months when I first came back. Wanted to hear about all my adventures, wanted to hear all about what you were doing. She thinks you're James Bond."

Great. Even Sam knew more about his daughter than he did. It was nice to know Georgie had been interested in his life. "I figured that out. My job is all she wants to hear about and it's the last thing Maxie wants to hear about. They keep fighting over it every time I get to be alone with them."

"Do you see them a lot now that you're not at Felicia's?"

His smile disappeared. "Not really. Got too much work to do."

She punched his arm. "You have to get out more."

"My social director hasn't been released yet," he replied in annoyance.

"Skye Quartermaine? She was arraigned this morning. Alan bailed her out an hour or so ago."

That made him feel better, that she was out. Skye may have played tough for him, but he knew jail had been rough for her. "I'll have to stop by and see her, then."

"I've only met her a few times, but I can't see you and her together," Sam asked thoughtfully. "She's the singer from Vegas, right?"

"Yeah." He looked at her in confusion. "Did you meet her before?"

"You don't remember?" She received a blank stare in response and sighed. "You were pretty drunk at the time."

Yep, drunkenness narrowed that down… "That would've been pretty much most of that relationship."

"I didn't think you kept in touch with her."

"I didn't. I ran into her at the courthouse dropping off that report right after I got back. We've seen each other a few times."

"I heard you're helping her with her case."

"She didn't do it, Sam."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Scott's pretty much running the investigation into ground. I don't think anyone's going to get convicted for it. And the sad thing is, I'm not going to lose any sleep if we don't get the killer," she said, entering Kelly's.

The same two waitresses as the day he first came home were working again. Actually, they were having a little argument in the middle of the diner. The two agents glanced at each other and walked around the feuding waitresses. "Break it up ladies," Frisco whispered as he passed the brunette. He and Sam sat down at the counter and waited for the waitresses to settle their disagreement. 

As soon as they sat down, Sam's pager went off. "I better call in," she said, looking at the number, and walked outside to make the call.

"What can I get you?" the petite brunette asked Frisco, glancing irritatedly at the blonde. Courtney, he remembered the blonde's name was.

"Tuna melt and fries to go," he said, smiling. She was Jeff's youngest, he remembered. "Elizabeth, isn't it?"

She looked at him suspiciously. "How did you know my name?"

"I know your dad. He's mentioned you a few times." He chose not to mention that Felicia had pointed her out that first day back.

"Just a few?" she asked skeptically.

He recognized the look on her face, one he's worn too many times himself. The one that questions whether your parents actually bothered to publicly acknowledge you. In her case, Jeff hadn't hesitated to mention his both of his two daughters. "He only mentioned your sister a few times as well. Usually when I see him, it involves some sort of injury, so he's trying to keep me talking, not talking about himself."

"What makes you think I care how much he mentioned my sister?" she asked, attempting to guard her feelings. Like her father, she wasn't very good at it. 

"I recognize that look," he told her with a smirk. "My older brother is a fancy pants doctor, too. Good grades, well behaved, polite, the whole deal. Unlike me, the can't-do-anything-right screw up. I'm Frisco Jones, by the way."

She shook his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you. So how do you know my dad?"

"He's a doctor. He's patched me up a few times."

"Hey, Frisco," Sam said, walking back up to the counter. Frisco turned to his former partner and Liz walked back to put in his order. "I gotta go. Duty calls."

"Alright. I'll give you guys a call when I know something."

"You want to get together for lunch next week?" the detective asked.

"Sure," he answered, shrugging. "Whenever you've got a free day."

She chuckled. "That would be never. But I'll make some time for you."

He smiled deprecatingly. "I feel so special."

"Later!" Sam patted him on the back and left. Frisco turned back to the brunette, who was staring at Courtney.

"So what did she do to piss you off so much?" he asked her.

"She pretended to be my friend while my boyfriend and I broke up. She's been seeing him behind everyone's backs for months now," the young woman answered bitterly.

He remembered what Felicia had said. _AJ Quartermaine's wife. Also happens to be Sonny's sister._ "I thought she was married to AJ Quartermaine."

"She is. They're getting divorced now." 

"Now that she's seeing your ex-boyfriend," he finished. "Lucky Spencer, right?"

"No, not that ex. Jason Morgan. Lucky slept with my sister," she told him, smiling resentfully.

"You're fighting over Jason Morgan?" he asked flatly, not quite believing a hit man was worth fighting over. "Come on, a pretty girl like you can do better than a glorified thug."

"Jason is a good person," she said defensively.

"He kills people for a living."

"Well, that's not my problem any more. It's hers," she snapped.

"Screw him, screw her, move on," he said dismissively. "Plenty of fish in the sea, as they say."

Liz looked up. "Oh great," she muttered.

Frisco turned to see Carly walk in and happily greet the blonde. "Wonderful." 

Liz smiled conspiratorially at him. "You don't like her either?" she whispered.

Frisco just smirked as his brother's former lover saw him. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the elusive Frisco Jones," Carly said contemptuously, walking over to him.

"If it isn't the infamous Carly Roberts," he shot back.

"It's Corinthos," she corrected him.

"How could I forget?" he mocked.

"You better not forget," Carly warned him. "You don't know what Sonny's capable of."

Frisco laughed loudly. "I'm shaking in my boots, babe." 

She glared at him. "You should be."

"Sweetheart, I've been threatened with weapons of mass destruction. I've been tortured. I've faced the most dangerous criminals in the world. Criminals a hundred times worse than Sonny Corinthos on his worst day. A thug in a designer suit does not scare me in the least."

She was taken back. That was obviously not the answer she expected. "What do you want with my husband?" she asked furiously.

Frisco's smirk faded. "It's not your business, Carly." Liz handed him his order, still smiling. "Thanks, Elizabeth," he said, paying for the food as she left to take care of other customers.

"My husband is my business," Carly insisted.

"Then you should take this up with him," he told her. He got up to leave, standing only inches from her. "The WSB does not deal with mobsters' wives." 

He started to walk away, but Carly stopped. "You know what?" she said, grabbing Frisco's arm.

"No, you know what? Bite me!" he countered, freeing his arm from her grasp. He walked out, waving to a smirking Liz.

~*~

Frisco had gotten no further than elevator, still fuming over his encounter with Carly, before a new agent, Will something, came rushing up to him. 

"Agent Jones! Agent Jones!"

Frisco had to give it to the kid, he had enthusiasm. "Yeah?" he asked as stepped into the nearby stairwell.

"The new fleet came in this morning," Will said, handing his boss the records and following him down the hallway.

Frisco barely glanced at them. "Which warehouse are they in?"

"Regular fleet is here, utility vehicles in the south warehouse and the modifieds in the north warehouse."

He handed the papers back to the kid and entered his office. He sat his lunch down on the desk. "What'd we get in the way of modifieds?"

"Um…" Will flipped through the papers until he found the information that Frisco wanted. "Looks like it's mostly sports cars. Jaguar, Thunderbird, Mustang, Ferrari, Shelby, Aston-Martin…"

"Wait," Frisco interrupted, "did you say Shelby?"

"Yeah, a Shelby Cobra."

Frisco grinned and giggled. A Shelby Cobra in _his_ fleet, he thought giddily. He spotted the envelope from the PCPD. He opened it and skimmed through the papers. He handed the envelope and the file he'd gotten from Sean this morning to the kid, taking back the vehicle records. "Take this to the print lab. Tell them I need a match ASAP. I want to know as soon as they know it. Got it?"

"Yeah," Will replied, somewhat dejectedly, and left to do his assignment.

The kid had no more left than Frisco's office phone started ringing. "Jones," he answered.

"Sir, you have a visitor," the voice on the other end said.

"Did you get a name?"

"The young woman gave her name as Georgie Jones. She says she's your daughter."

Frisco closed his eyes, wondering how on earth his daughter found the warehouses. Not even Mac knew where the new WSB base was. "I'll be right there."

He walked quickly up to the front entrance, to indeed find his youngest child waiting for him. "She's alright," he told the guard, holding open the door for her. 

The lobby and hallway were non-descript, only the WSB logo emblazoned on wall across from the front door. "I was expecting something cooler than this," she said as she looked around disappointedly.

"Why aren't you in school, Georgie?" he asked, concerned.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Boiler blew up, they had to let us out. Mom didn't want me home by myself."

"Why?" he asked, leading her to the stairs. "You're old enough."

"I don't know. Anyway, she's out on a case and told me to call you or Mac. He's at some crime scene and he didn't want me out there. Sam gave me a ride here."

Any good feeling he had towards his daughter visiting him at work disappeared. He was second best to Mac the Super Dad. "Oh, great," he answered timidly, trying to hide his disappointment. He had been the one that left; he deserved to be low man on the totem pole where his daughters were concerned. "You want to see some cars?" he asked hopefully.

"Are they like James Bond's cars?" she asked distractedly, looking in what ever doors were open as they walked down the hallway.

He smiled, noticing his daughter's interest. "Don't know. Haven't looked at them yet."

She looked up at him. "Well then, let's go," she commanded.

He laughed, showing her into his office. "Yes, ma'am."

"This is your office?" 

"Yeah, this is," he sighed, glancing around, "my office."

She dropped her backpack in a chair, looking around the room. She picked up a picture frame from his desk. "This is an old picture."

"It's the newest one I have." Newest one that didn't have Mac in it, anyway. "We'll have to get a new one taken of all three of us."

"Yeah." She was looking at the snapshot that Frisco had stuck in the frame. "Who's this?"

He didn't want to look at the photo. He didn't even know why he had put that picture out. It still hurt too damn much to look at it. "My mother."

"Who's the little geek? Uncle Tony?"

Geek? Uncle Tony? Tony wasn't in the photo… He wasn't a geek! "That's me!" He looked at her, offended. "And I wasn't a geek!"

She tried to look remorseful, but failed miserably. "You were cute, Dad," she said, stifling a giggle.

"That wasn't what you said a second ago!"

"She was pretty. Why haven't we ever met her?"

He sighed. He would've thought someone would've said something to her at some point, but the subject must not have come up. "She died when I was a kid."

"How old were you?"

"A couple years older than you."

Georgie must've noticed her father's grief because she didn't push the issue. "Can I check my email?"

"Sure." He closed down everything that was open on his laptop and handed the computer to her, clearing off some papers from his desk to give her some space. He sat back down and picked up a file from the pile and got back to work.

~*~

Frisco pulled into his ex-wife's driveway, intending only to drop off Georgie. They'd had a nice afternoon together, even if he'd been working for most of it. She'd been excited to see how the WSB worked, see the forensics labs and the modified cars the Bureau used. The afternoon did nothing to dispel her idea that he was James Bond, especially after she saw the silver Aston-Martin that they'd received that morning. Felicia had been staking out some cheating husband all afternoon, finally calling to tell him she was home late in the afternoon. He didn't really want to see her. It just hurt too much. Things were still tense between them and he didn't know how to fix it. 

"Thanks, Dad!" Georgie said, jumping out of the car and running up to the door.

Felicia stepped out and walked over to the car. With a resigned sigh, he turned off the ignition and started to get out. She got in on the passenger side. "Hi."

He closed his door. "Hi."

"Thanks for taking care of Georgie."

"No problem. I enjoyed it."

"She didn't drive you crazy? I know how excited she can get when it comes to that stuff."

He shook his head. "No, she was fine." Felicia obviously had something she wanted to say, but wasn't saying it. "What did you come out here to say, Felicia? I know it wasn't to thank me."

She took a deep breath, almost worrying Frisco. "I think I'm pregnant."

"What?" He was stunned. They'd used protection, she was over 35, the odds were against them… Right? "Are you sure?"

"No. I've been nauseous for the last few days, a couple dizzy spells and my period is late. Last time I felt like this was with Georgie."

"We used condoms."

"Not that first time."

Ah yes, he remembered. They barely got their clothes off. Finding a condom would've taken time. Time for them to think about they were doing. As if they'd ever thought about anything they'd done before. "It was just once."

"We used a condom and still ended up with Georgie."

"Yeah, we did," he said softly. "Have you made a doctor's appointment yet?"

She nodded. "I see Dr. Meadows tomorrow."

"Let me know when you know something?"

"Of course. You want to stay for dinner?"

He shook his head slightly. "Love to, but I have a meeting tonight."

"Okay, I'll call you when I leave the hospital." She touched his cheek tenderly. "Night," she said, stepped out of the car.

Frisco watched her go back into the house. As soon as she was out of sight, he sighed heavily, running a hand through his short hair. Another child to hate him.


	20. Chapter 20

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Born To Lose" by Leann Rimes. Almost caught up, I promise. ;) Goblz & Kathryn- Thanks! Don't speak too soon on the pregnancy! ;)  
  


_  
_

_Born to lose  
I've lived my life in vain  
Every dream I dream is only brought me pain  
All my life I've always been so blue  
Born to lose  
And now I'm losing you_

_Born to lose  
It seems so hard to bear  
How I longed to always have you near  
You've grown tired and now you say we're through  
Born to lose  
And now I'm losing you_

It had only taken a few hours for the victims prints to be matched in the WSB's fingerprint system, only confirming what Frisco had suspected. Two agents had been brutally murdered. He had been researching the victims, and what he'd found out was both useless and disturbing at the same time. He'd called Mac to let him know, and the two had agreed that they should meet with Taggart and Welles the next day to discuss the case. And of course, Scott Baldwin had invited himself along, much to Frisco's displeasure.

"What'd you find out, Jones? Some of us have other things to do," Scott complained, as they all gathered in Frisco's war room at the WSB base.

"On the off chance you might actually be referring to yourself, your presence here isn't necessary, Scott. And I guarantee you, I've got ten times the work you do." When Scott made no move to leave, Frisco continued. "The victims have been identified. All three were agents." He pinned three photos to a bulletin board. "Profaci, Newman, Raikkonen," he said, pointing to each of the three photos. "We were right about the hit part. Vic 3 was Profaci. According to Donley, he was a double agent for the DVX and had been running from the black box for nearly two years. Vic 1, Newman, and Vic 2, Raikkonen, were the agents sent to carry out the order." 

"Excuse me," Taggart interrupted. "What order? What's a black box?"

"Sorry, Taggart. I'm not used to debriefing civilians," Frisco told the confused detective. "Black box is the term for agents guilty of treason. Mandatory sentence is execution. When the Bureau found out where Profaci was, the order was handed down to carry out the sentence. Understand now?"

"Yeah. One more question, what's the DVX?"

"The bad guys. It's the rival organization to the WSB. Cesar Faison was once the head of it, if that explains anything."

"Oh, that explains plenty."

"Anyway, Newman and Raikkonen obviously got the job done. Nice, clean bullet through the brain. They called in when it was over. Their secondary mission was to collect as much evidence from the house as possible against the DVX. By the placement of the phone and the state of the bedroom, they were probably in the middle of a search when they were murdered."

"Sean give you any clues as to who might have done this?" Mac asked.

"No. The manner of death isn't consistent with the nature of our business. This took time and a sadistic streak. Most spy organizations, terrorist groups, etc., would've just shot them and been done with it. Maybe slit their throats. Not this."

"What about the DVX or Faison?" Sam asked. "You know as well as I do that they're both that sadistic."

"I wouldn't rule them out but it doesn't make any sense. The DVX usually reserves the sadism for interrogations. There wasn't enough time for any sort of thorough interrogation and they would've known that the Bureau keeps close tabs on black box missions. If the agents had been missing for some time, maybe, but we're talking a matter of a few hours. Barely enough time for them to be tracked. Faison…" Frisco shook his head, crossing his arms. "He's been laying low. This would be too unexpected for him."

"Wait a second!" Mac said, interrupting the two agents' thoughts. "Cesar Faison is still alive?"

Frisco sighed despairingly. The second Sam mentioned Faison, he should've guessed Mac would've jumped all over it. "We don't know exactly. There's evidence he may have survived the explosion, but nothing solid. Until we see a body, we're operating on the assumption he's still alive. He's come back too many times for us to think anything else."

"Basically, you're waiting for him to make a move."

"We don't have any other choice, Mac," Frisco answered, irritated, and sat in a nearby chair. This was the last thing he wanted to go over now. Faison was not the issue.

"How do you know he didn't do this?" the commissioner asked, quickly losing his temper. 

"He likes to play games. Every move he makes has a purpose. I can't see what purpose a murder like this would have."

"You're the new WSB chief here."

"Yeah, that's a possibility," Frisco admitted with a shrug. "But I haven't really been here long enough for him to plan anything." He leaned back in his chair, contemplating. Then the realization hit him. The DVX had moles that the Bureau hadn't identified, some that had been in place since Faison was in charge. "Unless of course, Faison has someone on the inside."

Mac caught his train of thought. "When did the promotion come up?"

"Weeks ago, but Sean kept it quiet because I was still out on cases. If Faison's got someone in a position to know about my promotion before it went through, he could've known about the black box order."

"So can we consider Faison a suspect?" Scott tiredly asked.

Frisco thought for a moment before answering. He definitely didn't like the turn this case was taking. Faison was a crap suspect, but he was all they had, even if there wasn't any proof he was still alive. "I wouldn't put him at the top of the list, but I guess we could consider him a suspect."

"Okay." Scott wrote Faison's name in big letters on a sheet of paper and pinned it to the board next to the pictures. "Who's next?"

"Looks like Faison's our best lead at the moment," Taggart told him. "We'll just have to wait for the physical evidence. See what we can get from the prints at the scene."

"I've got an agent looking into their cases," Frisco added. "See if they had any in common."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were shorthanded."

"Rookie. Doesn't know his head from his ass. Don't know what else to do with the kid. I don't think he's cut out for field work," he replied with a sigh, rolling his eyes. "Does the grunt work alright, though."

"Has he come up with anything yet?"

"No, but we're talking about hundreds of cases. I don't expect anything for a couple days at least."

"Anything we need to do?" Taggart asked.

Frisco shook his head. "Not right now. Lab's still working with all the prints."

"Any matches besides the vics?"

"One. Profaci's DVX contact. But he was in custody at the time of the murder. That's how we found Profaci. The rest of the prints probably won't be done until next week."

"Then we'll just plan on meeting same time next week?" Scott asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement and left Frisco alone in the room with only his building frustration. A messy murder case was the last thing he needed right now. Especially when it might just lead to a scumbag like Cesar Faison.

~*~

By the time Frisco reached the docks, Felicia was waiting for him, sitting alone on a bench and staring out towards Spoon Island. He apprehensively sat next to her, wondering what she would tell him. As much as he loved his two daughters, he didn't want another child. He'd done enough damage to Maxie and Georgie. Lord knew what he could do to a child he actually had a hand in raising.

"You ever wonder what happened to Casey?" he asked anxiously.

Despite her serious demeanor, she laughed. "Robin's alien friend Casey? I haven't heard anyone mention him in years."

"I know Luke told me that place belongs to the Cassadines now, but I can't help thinking that it's going to turn into some spaceship or something every time I see it."

"Let me guess, you spend all day staring out of your office window at Wyndemere, thinking about aliens?"

"No windows in my office." They both fell awkwardly silent. "So?"

"I'm not pregnant. I caught some weird flu bug that's been going around." Frisco couldn't help breathing a sigh of relief. "Relieved?" she asked, turning her head slightly to watch him.

"Yes, actually."

She looked back out at the water. "I guess I am too. I didn't want to raise another child on my own."

Damn. Yet another thing he was responsible for. A mistake he wouldn't have repeated. "You wouldn't have been on your own, Felicia."

"You said that before," she reminded him, a tinge of bitterness in her voice.

"I wanted to stay before."

"No, you didn't," she said, shaking her head. "You only stayed because you felt like you should. You weren't ready to settle down." She shrugged like it didn't matter to her, but he knew it did. "I understood that."

I was scared, he wanted to say, in a rare moment of clarity. "I don't want to have this discussion again. We'll just end up in another fight."

"I don't either." He could see tears shimmering in her eyes. She was mentally preparing herself to tell him something and he guessed it wasn't going to be good. "I think we should stop seeing each other."

He wasn't hearing this. She wasn't breaking up with him. "What?" he asked shakily. "What are you saying?"

"It's time to move on. I know we haven't been together for a while now, but we left it sort of open ended." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Let's face it, there's too much between us now. We've used each other up. What we had is gone."

This couldn't be happening. Their love was _not_ gone. "No, it's not. I refuse to believe that."

"It's over, Frisco. Just accept the fact we've both moved on with our lives. We can't keep reliving the past. Of course, you can see the girls whenever you want. Georgie just loves spending time with you and Maxie will come around once she starts getting to know you…"

He cut her off rambling. "It's not over, Felicia. It's not in the past. I still love you," he told her, getting choked up on the words.

"I love you too, Frisco, but it's time to let go," she said resignedly, fighting back the tears. "Maybe we can be friends again sometime in the future."

He had his head in his hands, elbows resting on his knees, trying to digest what she was telling him. Friends? How could they be just friends after everything? "I don't want to be just friends with you."

"This is for the best."

"Best for who? Certainly not me!" he yelled, standing up and pacing, his emotions overwhelming him. "I came home for _you_, Felicia. I have been trying to get better for _you_. Everything I have been doing has been for _you_. Not for me. For _you_."

"Frisco, don't do this," she pleaded through her tears. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm making this hard? You're taking the easy way out, Felicia, and you damn well know it. It's easier to just push me away than fight for us. To work things out."

"This is just the way it is, Frisco."

He felt the tears falling down his cheeks, but he didn't care. "Then I don't have anything else to say to you," Frisco said angrily, walking away.

~*~

Frisco sat in the darkness, just gulping down the vodka he'd bought on his way home, having finished off what he had hidden around the apartment. Tony had been called to the hospital for an emergency, so he had the apartment to himself for most of the night. He would just have to get rid of the bottles before his brother came home. He could've sworn Tony was going through his stuff looking for alcohol. That control freak was annoying him to no end.

His heart was breaking. All the time that he and Felicia had been apart, he'd never given up on their love. But now doubts were seeping into his mind. She'd quickly moved on every time he'd left. Maybe he'd been wrong about her all along. Maybe she never felt the way thought she did.

He wiped away a tear. This was killing him. His heart belonged to Felicia and only Felicia since the night she'd broken into his apartment looking for that damn Aztec ring. He almost wished he'd never bought it. Would've saved himself a lot of heartache.

It was over. It was truly over. Not because the feelings weren't there. _She_ had decided it was over. _She_ had given up on them. Not him. He wanted to stick it out, to be there for her and the girls like she wanted. And she was pushing him away. Again. Well, fuck that.

Frisco thought about going back to field work. What was the point in staying if he couldn't have her? He loved his daughters, but they had a dad. He would never be what Mac was to them, no matter how goddamned hard he tried. Maxie felt nothing but hostility towards him. He was just a fascination to Georgie. As soon as the newness wore off, she'd tire of him too. All he had was Felicia and she now she was gone. 

Fuck her. He'd had a life before her, he'd had something resembling a life while he was away, he could have a life without her now. He didn't need her. He didn't need anybody, he didn't depend on anybody. That's the way he liked it. She'd come slithering back like the snake she really was. She always had before. Why should now be any fucking different?

Fuck it all to hell, he didn't care anymore.

He took another long drink. He was to the wonderful point where he just felt numb. Nothing mattered. Not Felicia. Not the girls. Not Mac. Not Tony. Nothing but the alcohol pumping through his veins, deadening the pain he felt. This was the only time he could just forget everything and just be happy. Well, not happy exactly. Not unhappy was more like it, most of the time anyway. 

Frisco heard Skye's drunken singing before he heard her knock on his door. He stood a little too quickly, swaying as he tried to steady himself. He walked to the door and answered it with a sigh. "Hello, Skye."

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, entering the apartment. 

He closed the door behind her. "I heard you singing. You're a little flat."

"I'm a little drunk." She glanced around the room. "Nice place, but you really need a decorator."

"It's my brother's. I'm sure he likes it. He doesn't have much taste."

"Neither do you, I seem to remember." She noticed the bottles on the coffee table. "Having a party without me?"

"How'd you find me, Skye?" he asked, slumping down on the sofa.

"How do you think? I asked Daddy where your brother lived." She grinned mischievously. "You should've seen the look on his face when I told him we were married. He had no idea I knew you."

"I'm glad I could help," he said sarcastically. "As if I don't get enough of the teenage rebellion from Maxie."

"Geez, what got your panties in a bunch?" she asked, curling up next to him.

"I saw Felicia today," he replied softly.

"I take it she wasn't falling all over you begging for forgiveness?" she asked understandingly.

"No."

"So what did she say?"

He sighed. "She's not pregnant."

"She thought she was?"

"Yeah. And she officially broke up with me."

Skye ran a hand over his hair comfortingly. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Frisco shrugged drunkenly. "Fuck her."

"That's the spirit!" she said cheerily.

He could help but laugh. He turned his head to look at her. He'd forgotten how beautiful she could be. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. "What did I do to deserve you?"

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Torture small animals as a child, maybe?"

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She resisted at first, but he held her head firm. She surrendered and he deepened the kiss, pulling her close to him. His kiss was fierce, passionate, demanding. Almost punishing.

She broke away, frightened. "What about Felicia?"

"Fuck her. We're over."

"You still love her."

"But apparently there's an expiration date on our relationship," he said bitterly. "I told you, Skye. It's over."

"You told me it was over before. You came back to Port Charles for her."

"So why don't you fucking tell her that?"

She picked up the vodka bottle and took a long drink. "I will. Next time I see her."

Frisco grabbed her head again and she tried to pull away. "I don't care anymore," he told the redhead. "Me and her are over." 

He kissed her again, taking his time. His lips trailed down her neck and her arms instinctually wrapped around him. His hand moved down her back, over her behind and rested on her thigh. He pulled her leg over his hip, slipping her skirt up over her hips.

Skye moaned despite herself. Frisco Jones had always been good at turning her on. She pushed his shoulder back far enough to get a hand between them. She shakily fumbled the buttons on his shirt. He pulled the shirt over his head and threw it across the room, where it landed on top of the TV.

She pulled his face back to hers, kissing him greedily. "Bedroom," she whispered. He nodded his head understandingly and they both stumbled into Tony's room, falling on his bed.

  



	21. Chapter 21

Author's notes: Lyrics are "For My Borken Heart" by Reba McEntire. Frisco isn't the only one getting into trouble...  
  


_Clocks still tickin', life goes on  
Radio still plays a song  
As I try to put my scattered thoughts in place  
And it takes all the strength I've got  
To stumble to the coffee pot  
The first of many lonely mornings I've got to face  
You call to see if I'm ok  
Look out the window and I just say_

_Last night I prayed the lord my soul to keep  
Then I cried myself to sleep  
So sure life wouldn't go on without you  
But oh this sun is blinding me  
As it wakes me from the dark  
I guess the world didn't stop  
For my broken heart_

Frisco shot up in the bed, his head making sure he immediately regretted it. For once, he heard his own voice ringing in his ears. "You bastard," he'd said to the dark figure on the balcony. But his head hurt too much to try and contemplate any dreams this morning. He mindlessly scratched his belly before he realized wasn't wearing anything. He tried vainly to remember the previous night, but no memories sprang to mind, besides the massive consumption of alcohol. Sheesh, how much had he drank?

"Oh god," he groaned, falling back on the pillow.

"Frisco?" Tony called from the front room. When Frisco looked up, his brother was standing in the doorway. "How do you feel?"

"Seriously hungover, thank you very much."

"I bet, considering the number of empty bottles I found on the coffee table."

"I'm not in the mood for lectures, Tony."

"Too bad, you're going to get one," the doctor said with an aggravated sigh. "By the way, next time you invite a woman to stay over, give me a little warning."

Oh shit. What had he done now? "Huh?"

"I didn't appreciate coming home from work to find you and Skye in my bed."

Skye was here, they were in bed, he was naked … Oh god, he didn't… "Skye was here?"

"You don't remember?"

"I was really drunk," he admitted shyly.

Tony sat on the bed next to his brother. "Then you don't want to know how I found you," he replied sheepishly.

"I can guess." He furiously rubbed his face. God, he could be so incredibly idiotic! "How could I do something so stupid, Tony?"

"You tell me," he scolded his kid brother. "What happened yesterday anyway? You were in such a nasty mood when you got home."

Frisco rolled on his side facing his brother, slipping his hands underneath the pillow. "Felicia dumped me," he said quietly.

"Again?"

"No, she just made it official. Told me it was over, what we had was gone. That stupid 'let's just be friends' excuse."

"You don't agree?"

"You have to ask me a stupid question like that?" He paused, closing his eyes. He hadn't meant to snap at Tony like that. It wasn't his fault Felicia was being so difficult. "Hell no, I don't agree. I still love her."

"Then why did you sleep with Skye?"

"I don't know! I was drunk!" Frisco answered defensively.

Tony shrugged. "Well, if Felicia doesn't want you, I guess it doesn't matter now."

Damn it! It mattered! Felicia would kill him when she found out! "Of course it matters! I haven't given up yet!"

"No, you're just drowning yourself in booze."

Frisco sat up angrily. "Give it a rest already!" he shouted.

"I will not give it a rest, Andrew!" Tony shouted back. "I'm worried about you! I thought you'd quit drinking. When I came to Port Charles, you were okay, happier than I'd seen you in so long. But things got tough, Felicia got too close and you ran. The WSB was the perfect escape for you. All the adventure you wanted and you didn't have to face your problems. Now it's destroying you. I can not stand by and watch you wreck your life again."

"Then don't."

"Andrew, you're my brother. I love you more than my own damn life. I want to help you, but you won't let me."

"I'm fine, Tony. I just got drunk last night. Can you blame me? I just lost my reason for living yesterday."

That sent up warning flags in Tony's mind. "Reason for living? You've never referred to her like that before."

"I came back for her, Tony," Frisco said sadly. "What's point in staying now that she doesn't want me?"

"Your daughters. Me."

"My daughters don't want me and you don't need me."

"I do need you, Andy. I want you here, in my life. So do the girls. Georgie calls you almost every day."

"She's only interested in my job. That's all she ever wants to hear about. As soon as she hears all my stories, she won't want me either."

"That's not true. You haven't been in their lives. They just need to get to know you. You need to be their father, not someone who drifts in and out of their lives. But you can't do that if you're drunk."

"I am not a drunk!"

"You think I don't know about the bottles you've been hiding? You're an alcoholic, whether you want to admit it or not!" 

Frisco stormed into the bathroom without answering him. He'd had enough of his brother's accusations, the lectures as if he was still a kid. Security system or no security system, he was not staying here.

~*~

Air. Frisco needed air. He was hungover, the office was too confining, and he was just generally pissed off. He had to get out of the damn office.

He wandered around the docks, until he reached the entrance of the catacombs. He'd lived in there after escaping from Bulgaria, after Felicia had married Colton. He wished he could go back to those days, when he still believed in love, believed in himself. He'd honestly believed if he had her, everything would be alright. Damn fool he was.

He heard voices coming from inside. Probably just teenagers. He and Mouse had scared away a few while they lived here. It was a good place for the kids to make out.

"Stop it, Kyle!"

"Aw, come on, baby!"

He recognized the girl's voice instantly. It was Maxie. Whoever this Kyle was, he was doing something his oldest daughter didn't want to do. And Frisco wasn't about to let anyone hurt his little girl.

He stepped inside the cave. He could see them. The kid had his arms around her and she was struggling with him. "Is there a problem here?" he asked authoritatively.

They both looked at him. Maxie almost looked relieved, but her boyfriend was pissed off. "Get out of here, buddy. This isn't any of your business."

Frisco was anything but impressed by the teen's attitude. "Kid, she said stop. Take the hint."

The kid let go of Maxie and approached him. "Get out of here or you're going to regret it."

Stupid punk. "Is that a threat?" the agent asked, raising an eyebrow. He was going to have to talk to that girl about her taste in boys.

"What does this look like?" the kid replied, pulling out a knife. "I told you to leave."

"Kyle, don't!" Maxie begged, noticeably shaken. She tugged on the young man's arm, trying vainly to get him to put away the weapon, glancing back at her father anxiously. "Let's just go, okay?"

"Shut up!" Kyle said, pushing Maxie against the wall.

Frisco clenched his jaw in anger. Nobody hurt his daughter. "Touch her again and I will kill you. I'm armed and I'm trained in hand-to-hand combat. You'd be dead before you hit the ground."

Kyle didn't believe him. "You're lying."

Frisco calmly drew his gun, leaving it at his side. "Look, Kyle. She said no. Now get out of here," he ordered, gesturing to the entrance with his gun.

"Dad!" Maxie cried.

Kyle took one last look at the gun and Frisco's unyielding face. "I'll see you later, Maxie," he said, rushing out into the daylight.

"How could you do that to me, Dad?" Maxie screamed at her father. "How could you spy on me like this?"

"I happened to walking by and found this guy forcing himself on you! What was I supposed to? Let him rape you? Let him beat you up?"

"Kyle wouldn't hurt me! He loves me! Unlike you!"

"Oh yeah? What did I walk in on, Maxie, huh? I heard you clearly. You said stop. You were fighting him. He practically threw you against the goddamned wall."

"I was doing fine without you, Dad! I don't need you coming in and playing hero!" 

She stumbled on the rocky ground and dropped her purse, it's contents falling out. The pack of cigarettes caught his attention. "Smoking?" He picked it up before she could grab it from him. He opened the package, inspecting the contents. Just as he suspected, joints were hidden in the cigarettes. Another trick he'd used in his youth. "What do we have here?"

"They're just cigarettes," she insisted, sticking her chin out proudly. She suddenly looked very much like her mother. Especially considering she was lying.

Some of the dried marijuana leaves from the loosely rolled joints had collected in the bottom, mixing with the tobacco from the cigarettes. "Plain old tobacco isn't green." She reached for them and he moved the pack out of her reach. "I'm not stupid, Maxie. I know every trick in book. You're not going to get anything by me."

"Leave me alone! I don't need you trying to run my life!"

"Maxie..." She moved to leave, ignoring him, but he grabbed her arm. He looked worriedly in his daughter's face. She had her mother's eyes, but the pained look in them was one he knew all too well. He'd faced that look in the mirror back in the days when he had done so many things he later regretted. He didn't want that for her, not that she'd listen to him. He took a deep breath. It was probably a waste, but he had to try. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid in the name of teenage rebellion. I don't want to see you do something you're going to regret for the rest of your life. Or worse." 

She just glared at him as she left, not bothering to answer him. Frisco sat down on the cold stone. She was going to do something stupid just to spite him. Just as he had done at her age.

~*~

It was late. Frisco should be at home, feebly attempting to sleep on his brother's uncomfortable couch, not picking the lock to Alcazar's hotel suite again. But he needed to know. He had remembered something when he was here with Skye, and it was strangely like his dreams. He had to know what it was.

He slipped in without being seen. He stood just inside the room and looked around. An image of walking towards the balcony entered his mind. He could see the clothes on the sofa, the curtains blowing in the wind, the bloody knife on the floor.

Frisco walked further into the room, retracing his steps from the dream. He'd bent down and picked up the knife. He could see it in his hands. He was wearing gloves, that why his prints weren't at the scene. He exhaled sharply. Oh god, he really had been here… He… He killed… He couldn't even finish that thought.

Luckily, he didn't have to. The lock turned and the door flew open. Scott Baldwin strolled into the room. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" he asked smugly.

"Well, well, well. Is that your catch phrase or something?" Scott just smirked. Frisco resisted the urge to deck him. "What are you doing here, Baldwin?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Frisco. Seeing as you're breaking and entering and all."

"Beat cop now, are you?" 

"When necessary, yeah. Now answer the question."

"I didn't realize there was a question posed to me."

"Okay, if you have to be so anal about it. What are you doing here?" Scott asked, spreading his arms. "This is our crime scene. Or did the WSB take over this investigation as well?"

"I was asked to help clear Skye Chandler, since you're so hell bent on putting her away because you've screwed up the entire case."

"Chandler? Her name's Quartermaine."

He rolled his eyes. He was never going to get used to that. "When I knew her, she was still Chandler."

"Whatever. It doesn't matter because she's going to jail. She lied about Brenda to cover up her own crime."

"She was drunk, Scott. She blacked out. Skye's a lot of things, but killer is not one of them. She didn't do this."

"Yeah, well who did?" Scott asked skeptically.

"She's starting to remember more about that night. She remembered that there was a man in here after Brenda attacked Alcazar."

"She give you a description?"

"No, she can't remember what he looked like. Just that he walked out onto the balcony just before Alcazar began screaming as he fell over," Frisco told the district attorney.

"Convenient."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means the timing of this so-called memory is a little convenient. Come on, you used to be a cop, Frisco! Start thinking like one!"

Skye didn't kill Alcazar. He couldn't stand here and listen to Scott accuse her like this. "I am, Scott! Frankly, the evidence didn't even support a charge against Brenda and Jason, much less Skye. You didn't have all the facts, but you jumped all over this the second you saw the opportunity to convict Corinthos. You screwed things up. You're not a cop, and you didn't let the real cops do their jobs. Now you're going after an innocent woman for no other reason than to cover your own ass!"

"That is so wrong!"

"The hell it is! I'm right and you damn well know it!"

"Okay, hot shot. Who did it?"

"I'm guessing the man Skye saw."

"Who Skye doesn't remember well enough to give a description."

He wasn't going to convince Baldwin of anything. The jerk had already convicted Skye in his twisted mind and wasn't going to let up. "Give it a rest, Scott." 

"Skye Quartermaine murdered Luis Alcazar and I intend to prove it."

"You prove something," Frisco scoffed. "That'll be a first."

"Just watch."

"You've got nothing, Scott," Frisco said, walking by him and leaving the suite.


	22. Chapter 22

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Feel" by Robbie Williams. Goblz & ismile- thank you so much!!! I'm glad somebody likes this story! :-D

  
  


_Come on hold my hand,  
I wanna contact the living.  
not sure I understand,  
this role I've been given._

_I sit and talk to god  
and he just laughs at my plans,  
my head speaks a language, I don't understand. _

Frisco sat down at the bar and laid his head on his arms. He didn't want to go home. He just wanted to get drunk and forget everything. Sobriety sucked.

"Bad day?"

He looked to see Luke leaning across the bar. "Tequila, straight."

"Another fight with Felicia?" Luke asked softly.

"No."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

Luke stepped away, picking up a rag and started wiping down the bar. "It's after last call, buddy. We're closing up."

Frisco pouted. "Can't you just help a friend out?"

Luke leaned back towards Frisco. "Alcohol is not your answer, my friend," he told the younger man knowingly, patting the man's arm.

Frisco waved him off. He wasn't in the mood for this. He got enough of the 'alcohol is bad' lectures from Tony. "Just pour. I want to be drunk."

"And just why do you want to be drunk, Frisco? What are you running from this time?"

Running? He studied the older man suspiciously, trying to figure why he said that. It was something Tony would say. "What makes you think I'm running from something?"

"That's your thing, man!" Luke said. "Things get rough, you run. How long have you burying yourself in a bottle?"

Geez, Frisco hadn't come here to be interrogated. He could get that at home. And frankly, it was pissing him off. "What is this, the Spanish inquisition? Did Felicia and Tony get to you, too?"

"I care, man. And no," Luke answered, shaking his head, "Tony and Felicia didn't get to me. I could see it the other day when you were in here, after Felicia dumped you. Takes one to know one, as they say."

"If I want psychoanalysis, I'll go see Kevin. I just want a drink, Luke. Are you gonna pour me one or not?"

"Will you tell me what's bugging you?"

"Why does everyone insist on butting into my business? Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" he complained, laying his head back down on his arms.

Luke debated sending his friend away. He knew most people got more talkative when drunk. Maybe he'd find out what was up. "Here," he said, grabbing a bottle and pouring them both a shot.

They clinked their glasses together and Frisco downed his in one gulp. "Keep 'em coming, barkeep."

"You keep talking like that and I'm going to treat you like a customer."

Frisco grinned dejectedly. "You know what they say, the customer is always right."

Luke chuckled. "Not here." He poured Frisco another shot, which was downed as quickly as the first, followed by a third shot. 

"Why does everyone hate me, Luke?" Frisco whined.

The older man raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"

"Scotty hates me."

"Scott Baldwin is a horse's ass. He hates everybody. Hate him back. It works for me."

"Felicia hates me."

"Felicia couldn't hate you if she tried. And believe me, she tried. She's just hurt right now."

"Tony hates me."

"Tony's not even mad at you right now. He can't hate you any more than Felicia can."

"Mac hates me."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Man, you haven't had enough booze to have this kind of self-pity streak going yet. You want to tell me what's going on?"

Frisco shook his head. "I don't want to talk. I don't want to remember any of it. Can I just have the bottle?"

"Sure. I've got to take care of some stuff in the back."

"Don't you have employees for that?"

"Mike's off tonight, so I'm stuck doing it," Luke griped. "Be right back."

Frisco poured himself another shot and downed it. He could see the phone nearby on the bar. Kevin. He should call Kevin. He'd always said to call if he needed to talk. But it was nearly 2am. Frisco took another shot, tapping his fingers on the bar, still silently debating.

"Hell with this," he whispered. He leaned over the bar and grabbed the phone. He pulled a card out of his wallet and dialed the number. He ran a hand through his hair as he heard the rings.

It seemed like it had been ringing forever before someone answered. "Hello," the sleepy voice answered.

"Hey Doc."

"Geez, Frisco. What time is it?"

"I don't know exactly. Late. You said I could call any time I needed to talk."

A tired sigh came through the line. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Meet me down on the docks in 10?"

Kevin caved. "Alright."

"Thanks, Doc." Frisco hung up the phone and grabbed the bottle. "Luke?" he called. "I'm going! I'm taking the bottle with me!" Not getting an answer, he shrugged and left.

"What?" Luke asked, coming back out to the bar. He noticed Frisco was gone. "Where the hell did he go?"

~*~

Frisco kept pacing, forgetting how cold winter in upstate New York could get. His leather jacket wasn't enough to be standing outside in the cold, especially near the water. It was fine for winter in northern Africa, but it was far too thin for Port Charles. He had a wool coat, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out where it had disappeared to. He mentally added shopping for a real coat to his to do list for tomorrow. The girls should enjoy that. Well, Georgie would anyway. Maxie would probably find something to complain about.

"Feeling restless?"

He turned at the sound of Kevin's voice behind him. "No, actually I'm just trying to keep warm. I forgot how cold winter could get."

"This is the coldest in a few years."

"Just my luck."

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Can we go someplace else? Someplace warm?"

"Alright."

"You ever want to see how real spies work?"

"Not really. But I have a feeling I'm going to find out anyway."

"My office is only a few blocks away."

"Bad day?" Kevin asked as they walked to the WSB base.

"You could say that."

"Maybe you shouldn't miss appointments," Kevin said cautiously. "I haven't seen you in a week."

"I've been working. Major case came up. I couldn't avoid it."

"I know the bullshit. I got your messages. If we're going to do this, you've got to trust me completely."

"Doc, it's classified. I told you what I could tell you. Telling you the details wouldn't have changed anything. Believe me, you wouldn't want to know the details."

"I'm sure I don't. But I know how you hold things in, try to tell yourself it doesn't matter, it doesn't affect you. It does matter, and it does affect you."

Frisco stopped. "That wasn't why I called you, Doc."

"I don't care. We're going to talk about it. Now where is this office?"

Frisco pointed out the rundown warehouse. "Over there."

Kevin looked at him incredulously. "WSB run out of money or something?"

Frisco laughed. "Wait till you see the inside."

They entered the building through the intricate, complicated security system. Kevin looked on in disbelief at level of technology in such a dilapidated place. The entrance was composed of three sets of doors. 

"Smile, Kevin," Frisco told him, pointing at a well-hidden camera.

He looked up at the camera. "Why am I looking at the security camera?"

"They're taking your picture and running it through the computer. You come up clean, they'll let you in."

"Does the WSB have a file on Ryan?" Kevin asked worriedly.

"You, too. I had you cleared. There shouldn't be any problems."

"You go through this every day?"

"Nah, they know me," the agent answered, shaking his head. "I have a security code to get me through, but I'm not allowed to use it with guests. No exceptions."

Finally the last set of doors opened and they walked into the base. The entryway was like any other office building, Kevin hardly took notice of it. But as they walked down the hallway to the elevator, the wall disappeared, opening up to a large warehouse-type room with all sorts of machines, gadgets and several rows of cars, people moving about working. The high-tech room was something he had only seen in movies. "Whoa," was all he could say.

Frisco just grinned. "Welcome to the World Security Bureau, Port Charles Base. We're still moving in. Usually there's a wall there."

"Talk about James Bond," Kevin said in wonder.

"Nah, Q's too low-tech for us," he joked.

Frisco led Kevin to a door near an elevator and went through another set of security checks. The door slid open and Frisco entered the stairwell. He turned when he realized Kevin wasn't behind him. "Coming?" he asked.

Kevin was still looking at the door, completely stunned. "That is way cool."

Frisco laughed, never having seen his psychiatrist so taken back. It was funny. "I thought so, too. Not even headquarters has those."

Kevin followed Frisco down the stairs and through a non-descript hallway. At the end of the hallway was a small waiting area, doors on two walls. He watched as Frisco pressed his thumb against a lighted pad next to one of the doors and entered a code on the keypad. Kevin could hear a lock and Frisco opened the door.

The office was a mess. Piles of files and paperwork littered the desk. Open boxes were still spread all over the room, only partially unpacked. "And I thought my office was bad," Kevin joked.

"It is kind of a mess. I haven't had time to get everything put away and the current stuff just keeps piling up."

Kevin glanced at the large stack of files closest to him. "This is all what you're working on now?"

"Those are all current cases, yes. I'm not actually working on them. I'm still trying to get up to speed on all the cases based out of here. Plus trying to work on the new cases being thrown at me, too."

"Sounds like a lot of work."

"A lot more than I expected." He pulled out the tequila bottle from his jacket. "You want a drink?"

"No. You shouldn't either, not with your medications."

"Haven't had any problems before."

"I thought you were sober, Frisco."

"Are you going to lecture me? 'Cause I get enough of that from my brother."

"Fine," Kevin answered, sitting down in one of the chairs and yawning. "What did you drag me out of bed for?"

Frisco pulled his chair around the desk. He took a long drink straight from the bottle, not bothering with a glass. "I've been having these weird dreams."

"Like the ones you told the WSB psychiatrist about?"

"Well, sort of. I thought they were just dreams, but I think they're memories, like all my other nightmares." Frisco took another long drink, bracing himself for the words he hadn't even admitted to himself. "I think I killed Luis Alcazar."


	23. Chapter 23

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Heroes & Villains" by The Beach Boys. Goblz- thank you!!!

  
  


_I've been in this town so long   
that back in the city  
I've been taken for lost and gone  
And unknown for a long long time_

_Fell in love years ago  
With an innocent girl  
From the Spanish and Indian home  
Home of the heroes and villains_

"I think I killed Luis Alcazar."

Kevin was stunned. That was not what he'd expected Frisco to say. "What…" he stammered, closing his eyes. "What makes you think that?"

"My dreams, they match the witness statements," Frisco answered calmly.

"Didn't you tell me that you're helping Skye Quartermaine? Maybe your subconscious is just absorbing what you're dealing with."

Kevin was rationalizing, but Frisco knew the truth. It wasn't just his subconscious. "I had the dreams before that, before I ever read the file. It seems like every time I have the dream, I get a few bits more."

"Have you been back to the hotel suite?"

"Twice. Once with Skye and then earlier this evening. I remembered things and Skye remembered a man being there that night. I think that was me." Frisco took another long swig from the bottle. "I'm scared, Kevin," he said quietly.

"I know he isn't the first person you've killed."

"I never killed anyone away from the job before, though. It's always to protect myself, to protect someone else, under orders. Never in cold blood. Never just for revenge." He sighed emotionally, the memories beginning to flood his mind. He stood up angrily and began pacing like a cage animal. "I was drinking after I found out about the kidnapping. I was mad at Mac and Felicia for not calling me, I was mad at Sean for not stepping in, I was mad at Luis for going near my family. I got him off of the murder and kidnapping charges, Kevin! I set the bastard free!" 

Kevin put his hands on Frisco's shoulders to steady him. "Tell me what happened."

"I left the mission and got wasted. I remember boarding a plane to Port Charles. I remember sneaking into the hotel. I saw Brenda and Jason in the hallway. I went into the suite and saw Skye's clothes on the sofa. I picked up the knife off the floor. I walked out onto the balcony. Luis was there, his back was to me. He turned around and laughed. Said, 'Now what?' I walked up to him and stabbed him in the stomach. I pulled the knife out. I tried to stab him again and we were struggling. The knife fell out of my hand. I called him a bastard. He was sort of leaning over backwards and I just pushed him. He fell over and I watched him hit the car. I rushed out of the room. That must've been when Skye saw me."

"Where did you go when you left the hotel room?"

"The catacombs. I didn't know where else to go, so I stayed there all night. I went back to Boston the next day. I remember Sean got mad at me for falling off the wagon again and leaving in the middle of a mission." He put a hand over his mouth, trying to fight the tears that wanted to fall. "I didn't remember anything, Kevin, I swear!"

"Alcohol does that. You had been drinking when you went to Alcazar's room?" Kevin asked.

"I was drunk the whole time."

Kevin shrugged. "Then you really didn't know what you were doing."

"Yes, I did! I wanted him dead, Kevin!" Frisco yelled.

"But you didn't know what you were doing when you actually did it!" Kevin tried explaining to his patient. "Between the alcohol and your mental state, you're not legally responsible, Frisco!"

Fuck this. He was not a nut case. Frisco pushed the other man away. "I'm not crazy!"

Kevin held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say you were! You've been under severe emotional stress for years, Frisco! This is what you're trained to do! It's a trained reaction!" He paused, waiting for Frisco to react. When the agent didn't try to kill him, Kevin took that as a sign to continue. "You are a government trained killer, Frisco. This guy hurt your kids, the woman you love. You were drinking. You can barely control your reactions to things that actually happened to yourself. Alcazar just pushed you over the edge."

"I killed him, Kevin! And Skye was arrested for it!"

"That isn't your fault, Frisco," Kevin said calmly. "It is not your fault that she was arrested. You blacked out. But you remember now. You can clear Skye now. And we will get through this. You and me."

"You won't leave me?"

Frisco's trembling voice reminded Kevin of a child, but he remembered in many ways, the other man had stalled emotionally in adolescence. "No. I'm going to help you out of this."

Frisco hugged him, feeling a little calmer. Maybe he would get through this. "Thank you, Kevin."

"Hey, that's what you're paying me for," Kevin joked.

~*~

Frisco rubbed his eyes tiredly. Kevin had stayed with him until dawn, finally telling his patient he needed to go home and get some sleep. That made two of them, but Frisco had no time for sleep.

He needed to call Sean. His boss would want to know he was about to confess to murder. He halfway wondered if Sean hadn't already figured it out. Since November, he'd felt like both Sean and Tiffany had been holding something back. They both had urged him to come back to Port Charles and face his demons. 

Maybe when he left all those years ago, he should've never looked back.

He picked up the tequila bottle to take a drink, but realized for about the fifth time in twenty minutes that it was empty. He wanted a drink so badly, but nobody selling alcohol was open yet and he wasn't going to dare calling Luke this early. Waking up Luke Spencer before ten could get a man killed.

Frisco took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He might as well get this over with. If Sean was going to kill him for this, no point putting it off. He dialed the older agent's office number, hoping for voice mail so he wouldn't have to deal with him.

No dice, he thought as he heard Sean answer. "It's Andrew," he replied.

"Andrew, huh?" the older agent asked softly. 

Frisco sighed. He really didn't want to do this. "Yeah, Andrew."

"What happened?"

"A lot of stuff," he answered, his voice straining. "I'm not sure I can handle this, Sean."

"You still seeing Kevin?"

"I've missed a couple appointments lately, but yeah."

"Why did you miss appointments?" Frisco rolled his eyes. Sean was sounding more like a father, than his boss. "And don't roll your eyes. I hate when you do that."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose. Sean knew him too fucking well. "Work. This murder case is kicking our asses. We've got nothing so far."

"You can take time out to go to therapy," Sean scolded him.

"I was, just last week was impossible," Frisco said irritatedly. "Stuff kept coming up. I couldn't get away."

"Okay, as long as you weren't avoiding it."

"As much as I've been hating therapy, I would've rather been rehashing my rotten childhood."

"I don't doubt it, from your report."

Frisco sighed. They were getting off the subject. "I didn't call to talk, Sean."

"Why did you call then?"

"I did something, Sean. I'm probably going to be arrested in a couple hours," he said, attempting to be casual.

"What did you do?" It sounded more like a reaction than a question.

He paused, reminding himself why he was doing this again. "I murdered Alcazar. I'm going to confess whenever Mac gets in."

There was absolutely no surprise in Sean's voice. "Frisco, just wait until I get there. Don't go doing anything stupid," he told his friend. Ordering was more like it.

"Skye was charged. I can't let her go down for something I did."

"That's not what I meant. I'll be on the next flight out, I can be there in a few hours. Don't go to Mac yet. We'll talk about this when I get there, okay?"

It was pointless. He had to tell Mac, he couldn't continue to let Skye be accused of his crime. "Whatever, Sean. Do what you think you should."

Frisco hung up the phone and dialed the commissioner. Another phone call he needed to make while he still had the nerve. Four rings and the Aussie's answering machine kicked in. "Mac, this is Frisco. If you're there, please pick up," he said, as soon as he heard the beep. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Mac asked sleepily, picking up the phone.

"The Alcazar case. Skye's innocent."

"Can't this wait?" he whined.

"I just want to get this over with."

"Okay, fine," Mac grumbled. "If Skye's innocent, who killed him?"

Frisco took a deep breath, before just coming out and saying it. "I did."

"It's too early for practical jokes, Frisco!"

He frustratedly ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not joking, Mac. I killed Alcazar."

"Are you really serious?"

"Yes, I'm serious," he sighed. "Can we talk about this at the station?"

"I'll meet you there," Mac said, sounding suddenly more awake.

Next phone call. Kevin's cell phone. He wouldn't wake up the poor doc again. Last night was probably enough to make the guy get out of psychiatry.


	24. Chapter 24

Author's note: Lyrics are "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne. A couple different POV's besides just Frisco's in the next chapters. Goblz- thanks as always!!! Ismile- Wow!!! Thank you so much!!!  
  


_  
I'm looking for a place   
Searching for a face   
Is anybody here I know   
'Cause nothing's going right   
And everythings a mess   
And no one likes to be alone _

_Isn't anyone trying to find me?   
Won't somebody come take me home   
It's a damn cold night   
Trying to figure out this life   
Wont you take me by the hand   
take me somewhere new   
I don't know who you are   
But I... I'm with you  
I'm with you_

"Mac, you have to let me go down there with him," Kevin pleaded with his friend.

"He has the right to a lawyer, not a psychiatrist," Mac answered, irritated.

"Then don't come crying to me when he kills a couple guards trying to escape."

"Is he dangerous, Kevin?" the Aussie asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Of course he's dangerous! He's a spy!" Seeing Mac roll his eyes, Kevin made a decision he knew he'd regret. He shouldn't say anything, but Mac needed to have some idea what Frisco was capable of. "He's been imprisoned multiple times, tortured. He's had psychotic episodes as a result. Lock him in that cell, there's a chance that he'll have a flashback, think he's back in Iraq and try to escape. I've seen his service record, Mac. If he flashes back, he'll kill someone. It's what he's been trained to do."

Mac sighed, his back against the proverbial wall. "You think you can stop it if it happens?" Kevin nodded. "Alright, you can go sit in the cell with him when they take him down. He's still in the interrogation room."

"Thanks, Mac!" Kevin said, rushing to see his patient. He could see Frisco through the door's window. The agent had laid his head on his crossed arms on the table. "Frisco?" he asked, entering the small room.

Frisco looked up exhaustedly, the weight of all his experiences evident in his face. "Have the charges against Skye been dropped yet?"

"I'm not sure. I think that's what Mac is working on now." Kevin sat down across from him. "How you doing?"

Frisco shrugged. "I'm not sure it's really sunk in yet. Hey, can you do me a favor? Can you call Sean Donely for me? Let him know I've been arrested?"

"Sure. No problem. You want me to call Tony and Felicia, too?"

Frisco nodded. "Yeah."

"You don't sound too sure."

"You think I want my family to know I've been arrested? I just…" He stopped and rubbed his eyes wearily. "God, I can't believe I did this."

"You're going to get through this. I promise you that."

A knock on the door caught their attention. They turned to see Skye standing in the doorway. "Hey Frisco."

"Skye."

She glanced at Kevin. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Skye Chandler-Quartermaine," she said, extending her hand.

"Kevin Collins," he answered, shaking her hand. He glanced back at Frisco, feeling very intrusive. "I'll go make those phone calls. I'll be right outside if you need me, Frisco."

"Thanks, Kevin." He waited until the door closed. "I'm sorry about this, Skye."

"I couldn't quite believe it when Mac said you confessed," Skye told him, sitting in the chair Kevin had just vacated. "What happened?"

"You weren't the only one in an alcoholic haze that night. The man you saw was me," Frisco admitted quietly.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" she asked, bewildered. "Why did you let them arrest me?"

"I had nothing to do with your arrest. I didn't even know about it until Baldwin told Mac afterwards." He paused. "I only started really remembering the day we broke into Alcazar's suite. Just bits and pieces, like you remembered. I went back last night, to see if I could remember anything more."

"And you remembered killing him," she finished for him.

"Yeah. I called Mac this morning and told him what I remembered. It took a little while to convince him I was telling the truth and not just trying to get you out."

"Are you?"

Frisco shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Skye reached out to touch him. "There's nothing to be sorry for. Luis Alcazar deserved it. We'll get you a good attorney and get you acquitted."

He stared at her suspiciously. "Why are you still here, Skye? You couldn't stand me when we were married."

She shrugged. "You were a difficult man to live with. We were both dealing with our alcoholism and you were still madly in love with your ex-wife. Maybe if things had been different, we might have worked out. I've always thought that."

"I'm not an alcoholic," he grumbled defensively.

"Yes, you are," she said gently. "You're just apparently not ready to admit it."

"Whatever."

"Felicia know about your arrest yet?" Skye asked, changing the subject.

"Kevin's calling her and my brother right now."

"Good." She smiled weakly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Shoot me," he said jokingly.

"Have you called an attorney yet?"

"No," he said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't even know who to call."

"Then I'll let Alexis Davis know she has a new client. She's supposed to be here in a few minutes anyway."

"She any good?"

"One of the best in town."

Frisco laughed. "Great," he muttered sarcastically.

She looked at him in confusion. "What? You don't like Alexis or something?"

"She's a Cassadine."

"So?" she asked, puzzled.

"I guess you haven't been here long enough to know about the Cassadines."

"I've heard a little. I have to say, I don't see where the reputation comes from."

"There's a very good reason for the reputation. The family's been at odds with the WSB for decades. Mikkos Cassadine, Helena's late husband, tried to freeze the world 20 years ago. But I've heard Alexis and Nikolas aren't like the rest of the family. Luke doesn't hate them, so that's got to count for something."

"I'll take your word for it."

Mac interrupted them. "Alexis is here to see you, Skye," he told the redhead.

"Thank you, Mac." She turned back to her ex-husband. "You going to be okay?"

"If I'm not, my psychiatrist is out there to sedate me," Frisco answered halfheartedly.

"Alright. I'm going to go talk to Alexis. If you need anything, you know I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Skye. I appreciate that."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before leaving. Mac moved out of the way to let her by and closed the door behind her. "You sure there's nothing going on?" he asked, his jaw clenching in anger.

"Should I be talking to you outside the presence of my attorney?" the agent asked irritatedly.

"This is personal."

Frisco glared at the other man. "I don't like you nosing into my business, Scorpio."

"I've seen what your leaving has done to Felicia before. I won't let you hurt her again, Frisco."

"You want to accuse me of cheating on Felicia, go ahead. She already has. And I'll tell you the same thing I told her. There is nothing going on."

"You've barely been back more than a month," Mac said, equally as irritated. "How'd you get so chummy with her already?"

"I met her in Vegas a few years ago," Frisco answered defensively.

"How?"

"None of your business, Mac."

"Felicia is my business."

"You divorced her. That makes her not your business," Frisco said, with some satisfaction. "My relationship with Skye is not Felicia's business. Or yours."

"If you're seeing another woman, I'd say it was Felicia's business. And I'm making it mine."

"I'm not seeing Skye, not that it's any of Felicia's business. She kicked me out."

Mac smirked. "Good for her."

Frisco got in the other man's face. Two could play at this game. "Is there anything going on between you and Felicia that I should know about? You seem awfully concerned about her," he sneered, turning the tables on Felicia's other ex-husband. Mac just glared at him silently. "Considering you dumped her."

Alexis burst through the door at that moment, breaking up the beginning of an argument. "Are you trying to question my client without counsel, Commissioner?"

"Your client?" Mac asked her, confused.

"Yes. I have been asked to represent Agent Jones in this case."

Mac looked to Frisco for an answer. "That true?"

Frisco smirked. "I'm told she's the best in town and she's already familiar with the details of this case."

"I would like to speak to my client alone," Alexis said to Mac with an authority that impressed her new client.

With a last stern look back at the secret agent, Mac left.

Frisco eased himself back down in his chair exhaustedly. He hadn't expected to argue with Mac on top of everything else. He just wanted to go down to his cell with whatever sedative he could talk Kevin into giving him and sleep. "Nothing personal, Ms. Davis, but could we do this another time?"

"I think we should do this now," Alexis said firmly, setting her briefcase down on the table. "Now, what was Mac asking you when I came in?"

Frisco waved her off. "Nothing," he answered tiredly.

"I need to know if I'm going to defend you."

"It was personal."

"Agent Jones…" she began to scold him.

"He wasn't asking me anything about the case," he said, cutting her off. "I told you, it was personal. Feel free to lay into him for it if you like."

"I'd like to ask you some questions. I need you to answer as truthfully as possible."

"Alright."

The attorney crossed her arms warily. "Did you really kill Luis Alcazar?"

"Yes."

"You're not just confessing to get your ex-wife out of jail?"

"Skye told you about me, did she?" he asked lightly, no real humor in his voice. "No false confessions, counselor."

"Good. I already had one of those. I don't want another." She pulled out a couple files and a legal pad out of her briefcase and sat across the table, slipping on her glasses. "Can you tell me what happened that night, Agent Jones?"

"It's all in my statement," he answered, pushing a copy of it across the table.

Alexis glanced over it quickly. "Any extenuating circumstances I should know about?" she asked, reading and jotting down notes.

"Like what?" 

"Mental illness, substance abuse, any emotional distress the victim may have caused," she suggested, looking up at him.

He chuckled humorlessly. "All of the above."

"What was your connection to Luis Alcazar? In your statement, it just says that it's classified."

"It is. I'm not at liberty to discuss it. He kidnapped my girls, then he kidnapped my wife. That's all that's relevant to the case."

"You mean ex-wife, don't you?" she corrected with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course."

"Were you serious about the mental illness and substance abuse?"

"Yes. I've been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of my job. Or my upbringing if you listen to my shrink. I'm an alcoholic if you listen to my brother and my ex-wives."

"You were drinking the night of the murder?" she clarified.

"Yes."

"Have you been known to have psychotic episodes or violent outbursts?"

"Yes. You can talk to Kevin Collins about that. He should have a copy of my psych records."

"That was Dr. Collins outside, right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll talk to him when we get done here." Alexis flipped through the statement again, reading a few parts closer. He watched as her forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Did you plan this?" she asked suspiciously.

He shrugged. A lot of that time was still hazy or missing. "I don't know exactly."

"What do mean you don't know?" she asked in confusion.

"I don't remember all the details. I went through a couple periods where I was drinking heavily. One of them was at the time of the murder." He paused, sighing. "I was the one that got the charges against him dropped."

"Why the hell did you do that?" Alexis snapped at him, bitterness breaching her cool demeanor.

He took a deep breath. "I would've been seen trying to get in and out of lockup. The hotel suite was much more accessible."

She tapped her pen on the table impulsively. "That sounds like a plan to me."

"Yeah, but I don't remember doing it. I remember sending the documents to Scott during the trial, but I don't remember planning anything." He thought a little more. There were things about that night that just didn't make sense. Pushing a man off a balcony, attacking with a weapon he found on the floor… It wasn't a very sound plan, now that he thought about it. "I stabbed him with a knife I found on the floor. I pushed him off the balcony. If I'd planned it, I would've had a weapon with me, I would've had a backup plan, I would've had a way out. Hell, I would've made sure no one ever found his body."

She sat back in the chair, analyzing the situation. "What exactly do you do for the WSB, Agent Jones?"

"Right now, I'm head of the Port Charles office. I was a Special Agent-In-Charge until a couple weeks ago. I was responsible for choosing agents for my missions, planning, strategy, stuff like that."

"And before that?"

He shrugged, not seeing the point of these questions. "I was a field agent. Mostly deep cover assignments. Pretty much, I did whatever the WSB sent me out to do."

"Like what?"

"I can't talk about most of what I've done."

"In a general sense. No specifics."

"Infiltrating various criminal and terrorist organizations, military sabotage, reconnaissance and surveillance, arms and explosives dealing, a few security details, counter-terrorism consulting for a few police departments. I've done a little of everything."

"Assassinations?"

"A few, yes."

"So killing is part of the job, a part of your training as an agent?"

"Yeah. Your point?"

"You said you don't remember planning anything," she explained. "The way the murder went down, with your training, how difficult would it be to come up with that kind of plan?"

"I could do that in my sleep," he huffed.

"Or an alcoholic haze?"

Ah, now he saw where she was going with the questions. "Yeah."

"I think we should be able to get you off pretty easily, Agent Jones," Alexis told him confidently.

"Frisco."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you at the courthouse, call me Frisco, Ms. Davis."

She smiled. "Then please call me Alexis."

"Can I call you Natasha?" he asked mischievously.

She glared at him. "I see you've done your homework. And don't call me Natasha if you expect to live."

"Cassadine to the bone, I see." He smiled halfheartedly and shrugged. "I've taken bigger risks, counselor."

"Maybe so, but I don't suggest taking this one. Is there anything else I need to know about this case?" Frisco shook his head. "Alright, I'm going to talk to Dr. Collins. Mac is probably ready to take you down to a cell by now."

"Lovely," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure he'll enjoy that."

Alexis packed up the files and her notes. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask," she said, taking off her glasses. They both stood up and she left the room, Frisco following her only as far as the doorway.

Kevin was sitting at a table near the room, talking with Mac. Both men stood when they saw the attorney.

"I'm finished with my client, Commissioner, if you're ready," she said, walking over to the two men.

"No, we're not ready to take him down yet," Mac lied. "But thanks for letting me know."

"For crying out loud, how long does it take to get booked around here!" Frisco exclaimed. Mac and Alexis both shot him dirty looks.

"I need to speak to you, Dr. Collins," Alexis said to Kevin. "Alone," she added to Mac.

"I have some things I should go do," Mac said uncomfortably, walking away.

Kevin looked to Frisco for approval. "Tell her whatever she needs to know," Frisco said.

"Sean Donley asked me not to. He's on his way here. He said he'd take care of this," Kevin told them.

"Who is Sean Donley?" Alexis asked.

"My boss. He used to be the police commissioner here," Frisco answered. "Did he happen to say how he was going to take care of this?" he asked the psychiatrist.

"No. He just said there were things in your records that the WSB didn't want out and that I shouldn't share anything," Kevin told him.

"Can you just answer her questions anyway? Just in case?"

Kevin turned to Alexis. "What kind of questions?"

"Can you verify the PTSD diagnosis?" she asked.

"Yes." He paused. "Look, I don't believe he was legally responsible for his actions. I'll testify to that, if it comes down to it."

Frisco tuned out of the rest of the conversation. He watched Scott Baldwin walk up to Mac and start badgering him.

  



	25. Chapter 25

Author's notes: Lyrics are "One Step Closer" by Linkin Park. Another violence warning, Frisco's job rears its ugly head again towards the end of the chapter.   
  
  


_I find the answers aren't so clear  
Wish I could find a way to disappear  
All these thoughts they make no sense  
I find bliss in ignorance  
Nothing seems to go away  
Over and over again  
Just like before... _

_Everything you say to me  
Takes me one step closer to the edge  
And I'm about to break  
I need a little room to breathe  
Cause I'm one step closer to the edge  
And I'm about to break_  


"Please tell me I heard your message wrong, Scorpio!" Scott whispered sharply.

"Nope. You heard correct," Mac answered.

"Frisco really confessed to murdering Alcazar?" the district attorney asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. And," he said gesturing to the small group by the interrogation room, "he hired Alexis Davis."

"Great. Just great," Scott groaned. "What she talking to Kevin for?"

"I think she's setting up for an insanity defense."

Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. Frisco Jones was the last person he'd suspect of being crazy. "Insanity? Frisco?"

"Post Traumatic Stress."

"Really?" Scott closed his eyes, seeing the other man's nod. "Any validity to it?"

"From what Maxie's told me, he's not the most stable person," Mac told him. "Sean Donely is on his way here, by the way."

"Which means the charges are gone," Scott said crossly.

"What do you mean?"

"If Donely asks me to drop the charges, my hands are tied," he told the commissioner. "We'll have to let him go."

"He can't do that, can he?" Mac asked incredulously.

"Frisco did it for Alcazar."

"Frisco got the charges dropped?" Mac felt his blood pressure rise a few notches. "Doesn't that indicate premeditation?"

"I don't know, you're the cop. You tell me," Scott sneered, walking to the interrogation room.

~*~

Scott slipped into the room without catching Alexis' attention outside. She was still in deep discussion with Kevin.

Frisco glared at the DA. "Scott."

"Let's talk plea bargain," Scott said, sounding more like a used car salesman than a lawyer.

Frisco raised an eyebrow. He didn't particularly care to talk to Scott Baldwin right now, and certainly not about any plea bargain. "Shouldn't you discuss this with my attorney?"

"I want to discuss it with you." Scott sat down. "I'm willing to accept there are extenuating circumstances. I'll take manslaughter 2, you do your time in a mental facility."

The secret agent smirked. "And if we take it to trial, I'll be acquitted, according to Alexis."

"You want to take that chance?"

"Do you? I'm guessing Mac told you that I have PTSD. I've got a viable defense." Frisco leaned forward. "Plus, we've got your previous botched trial and another false arrest to use as well," he added confidently.

Scott considered his options. "Is that your decision?"

"I'm sure that's what my attorney would recommend," Frisco answered, leaning back and crossing his arms. "You can check with her if you like."

"Then I guess I'll see you in court, if it comes to that."

"Meaning?"

"Oh, come on, Frisco!" Scott shouted. "You know as well as I do that Donely's coming to get the charges dropped. We've been through this before. I knew you were up to something when you ordered me to drop those charges against Alcazar." He frowned. "You should've been the first person we suspected," he muttered.

For once they agreed on something. "You're right. I should've been. Guess you really screwed up."

Scott shot him a dirty look. "Oh shut up. I'm going to go see if your cell is ready."

"My cell? I haven't even been booked yet! What the hell is the hold up?" Frisco griped, more than a little pissed off at having to wait.

Scott rolled his eyes, realizing he was being stonewalled. "I'll go find out." He stormed out of the room, looking for the commissioner. "Mac!"

"Yes, Baldwin?" he tiredly answered.

"Frisco hasn't even been booked yet? What's going on?" Scott asked angrily.

"I was told not to process him," Mac said quietly.

"By who? I sure as hell know it wasn't me!"

"Donely. He called me this morning to tell me Frisco was coming in. He told me to stall until he got here. Despite Frisco's statement, I think Donely's going to say he was acting under orders."

"Damn it! Can this case get any worse?" Scott cursed, running a hand through his thinning hair.

Taggart cautiously walked up to the DA and commissioner. "Mac," he said, "We got two more bodies. Officer on the scene suspects they're WSB."

Mac sighed heavily. "Get Frisco. Let's go."

Scott grabbed his coat and walked back into the interrogation room. Frisco was sitting alone, arms crossed and staring blankly at the table. "Hey, Frisco," he said, trying to get the agent's attention.

"Yeah?" Frisco answered dully.

"I think two more of your guys turned up dead. Gotta get back to work."

Frisco got up and followed the other man out. "Oh joy."

Alexis saw the two men leaving. "Where are you going with my client, Baldwin?"

Frisco turned back to her. "Relax, Alexis. I've got to go to work. Alcazar will have to wait."

~*~

If the last scene had been bloody, this scene was bathed in it. The alley the bodies were found in was literally covered in blood, beyond almost anything Frisco had seen before. No ID's on the bodies, just a WSB badge belonging to one of the previous victims, and unfortunately, no heads to identify them either. Frisco felt lucky they still had hands.

"Any idea what cause of death was?" he asked the medical examiner.

"No. Not sure I'll ever know," she told him.

"Why?" Mac asked from behind the agent.

"The bodies were mutilated peri-mortem. Gutted. As far as I can tell, all the organs are missing from both bodies, plus the heads."

"What?" both men asked at once, glancing at each other in complete shock.

"I'll be able to tell you more from an autopsy, but not much."

Feeling nausea overcome him, Frisco stepped away from the body.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Mac asked him.

Frisco shook his head. "No. And I've seen some gruesome things in my life."

"You okay?"

An image of pumping blood flashed in his mind, the nausea overwhelming him. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"You and every other cop out here."

Frisco clutched his stomach. "No, I'm serious. I think I'm going to throw up."

Mac led him away, taking him around a corner where they would be alone. "Just take deep breaths, Frisco."

Memories flooded Frisco's mind. Blood flowing down the gutter like a creek as he was led to his own execution. The blood soaked bodies being thrown in a pile like garbage. Watching the blood pour from his own body as he lost consciousness. Hands on his head, he tried to shake the horrific images from his mind. "Oh god, no," he cried, closing his eyes. All he could see was running blood. He opened them again, the blood was still there. It just kept coming and coming.

Frisco's breathing was in short, shallow gasps, worrying Mac. "Frisco?" he asked, concerned. He gently shook Frisco's shoulder to get the older man's attention. The agent looked at him, terror clear in his eyes, and backed against the brick wall, shaking. Mac just stared at him, fully realizing what Kevin had said earlier and what Maxie had been telling him for over a month. Wherever Frisco's mind was, it wasn't in Port Charles at that moment. Not knowing how to handle this, Mac pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kevin's number.

"Kevin, I need your help," Mac said as soon as his old friend answered.

"With what?"

"How do you know when someone's having a flashback?" he asked worriedly.

He could hear his friend take a deep breath on the other end of the line. "What's wrong with Frisco?"

"This crime scene, it's really bad. Blood everywhere."

"What happened?"

"He just freaked out, Kevin. We talked to the ME and he just backed away from the bodies. He said he was sick, so I took him around the corner, away from everyone else."

"How did he react when you got him alone?" Kevin asked.

"He looked nauseous. I told him to breathe. That's when he started looking like he was somewhere else." Mac watched the traumatized agent slide down the wall. "Whatever he's remembering, he's terrified, Kevin. He was even terrified of me." 

"Okay. Try to snap him out of it. Get him to breathe. Just get his attention, get him to talk," Kevin instructed him. "Don't let him clam up, Mac. He needs to let this out."

"Should I bring him back to the station?" 

"You have to get him out of this first."

Mac sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Kevin." He put up the small phone and kneeled next to the older man. "Frisco," he said, snapping his fingers in front of his face. He got no response. "Damn," he mumbled. He shook Frisco frantically. Still no response. He grabbed Frisco's face, forcing the agent to make eye contact with him. He called the other man's name, their faces only inches apart. 

Frisco blinked a few times desperately, returning to the present. "Mac?" he asked fearfully, his breathing still ragged.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. I saw the bodies and I felt sick. You pulled me away and I just…" he trailed off, the memories returning.

"Stay with me, Frisco," Mac said. "I want you to take a few deep breaths. Can you do that?"

Frisco nodded slightly and did what the commissioner told him.

"What did you see, Frisco?"

"Blood. It was running down the street," Frisco answered distantly.

"What blood? Where?"

"In Kandahar. When they executed me."

"Who executed you?" Mac asked in confusion.

"al-Qaida. They were executing prisoners as fast as they could shoot them so they could evacuate. I was the last. The blood was running down street." Tears welled up in his eyes, the fear washing over him. "All I saw was the blood and it wouldn't go away. There was just so much blood."

Mac patted him on the shoulder. "You know what, I think your job is done for today."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I should just go back to the station."

"Maybe. Last I checked, you were still under arrest. Guess we could go back and get you booked."

"Gee, you think?" Frisco replied sarcastically.

Mac shook his head, dropping his hands. "Well, you must be feeling better if your sarcasm is still operational."


	26. Chapter 26

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Come Undone" by Robbie Williams. Same warning as the last chapter, since the flashback is repeated.  
  


_So rock and roll, so corporate suit  
So damn ugly, so damn cute  
So well trained, so animal  
So need your love, so fuck you all  
I'm not scared of dying I just don't want to  
If I stopped lying I'd just disappoint you  
I come undone_  


Mac and Frisco returned to the station in silence, a very loquacious Scott in tow, annoying both of them. 

"Don't you two have anything to say?" Scott asked, annoyed at the other men ignoring him. "We did just leave a crime scene. There's a case to be discussed, you know."

"If I had something to say, Baldwin, I'd say it," Frisco growled.

"You two did not spend enough time at that scene be in this much of a bad mood. Where did you run off to anyway?" The only answer Scott received was an irritated glare as Mac held the station door open for him. "Fine. Don't tell me."

Entering the squad room, the first thing Frisco noticed was Felicia talking to Sean, Tony sitting with Kevin and Alexis in nearby chairs. They all stopped talking and turned as they saw the three walk in the room. Oh god, he just wanted to crawl in a dark hole and die. Kevin was one thing, but seeing the scolding looks from Tony and Sean was just too much for him. He was now officially in hell.

Sean strolled up to his agent, hands in his pockets. "So?"

Frisco shrugged indifferently, his quickly growing depression evident in his face. "We got two dead agents."

"Cause of death?"

"Don't have one."

The WSB director raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he asked slowly.

"They're missing their heads and internal organs," Frisco answered casually.

Sean closed his eyes, not quite believing what Frisco had said. "What?" he questioned, almost shouting unintentionally.

"You heard me."

"The whole crime scene was covered in blood," Scott added, scrunching his face in disgust. "It was sickening."

Frisco lowered his head and exhaled loudly, the memories still fresh in his mind. "I'm going back to my interrogation room," he said, walking towards the room.

Kevin stood up and followed him. "I'll go with you."

Mac turned to Sean. "Why don't we go talk in my office." The former police commissioner followed Mac and Scott to his office, Alexis trailing behind the three men.

~*~

Frisco slumped down in a chair in the interrogation room. Kevin pulled a chair around to sit next to his patient, facing the opposite wall. Frisco was in no mood to talk. He'd had enough talking in the last two days to last him a very long time. He'd had enough of Kevin's "insights". Kevin sighed as he glanced back at Tony and Felicia in the doorway. The agent was too busy staring at the table to notice his brother and ex-wife had joined them in the small room.

"You want to talk about it, Frisco?" Kevin asked softly.

"What's there to talk about?" Frisco answered, shrugging. He closed his eyes when his noticed Kevin's frown. He'd forgotten about the no shrugging rule. Fuck it, he didn't care anymore.

"Mac said you had a flashback."

Mac? Frisco looked at him strangely. "When did he tell you that?"

"He didn't know what to do. He called me for help," Kevin told him.

The only thing Frisco could do was breathe. He didn't want to talk about it. Nothing Kevin could say would change anything. He just wanted to forget everything he'd seen. Forget the bloody images that wouldn't leave his mind. Forget that any of it had happened. Forget that he'd left Port Charles in the first place.

"Frisco, you need to let this out," Kevin urged, grabbing the older man's hand and squeezing it.

Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill down his face. "Why? What's talking going to change?"

"It's eating you up on the inside. It won't change what you've seen, what you've been through, but it'll make you feel better if you talk about it."

"I just want to forget, Doc," Frisco told him, his voice shaky.

"But you can't forget, can you?" Kevin asked, watching for the reaction he was sure the agent would have. "No matter how hard you try to?"

~*~

As soon as the door to Mac's office closed, Scott started in on the WSB director. "Okay, Donely, let's hear what lame excuse you came up for him."

Sean glanced warily at Alexis. "She need to be here?" he asked, gesturing towards her.

"I am representing Agent Jones, so anything that is said in here regarding my client, I think I should hear," she answered firmly.

Sean looked towards Mac and Scott, who both just shrugged. "He was acting under orders."

"Surprise, surprise," Scott replied, his voice dripping with bitter sarcasm. "You know he confessed, right? He told us everything that really happened that night."

"I am aware. As far as the Bureau is concerned, he was operating with our full support."

"Agent Donely," Alexis butted in, "Frisco has a good defense with his PTSD. There's no reason to cover up this crime any further."

"Exactly. He has a perfectly good plea bargain on the table," Scott added. "And I'm not generous very often."

"We're not dealing, Baldwin," she replied determinedly, glaring at the other attorney. "No jury is going to convict him for this."

"We'll just see about that. I know Frisco's skeletons about as well as anybody in this town," Scott retorted smugly.

Mac sighed, remembering Frisco's flashback only minutes before, knowing that was only the tip of the iceberg. "Which means you know very little, Scott," he said tiredly.

"This isn't going to trial," Sean growled. "Frisco was acting under my orders. And I have the warrant to prove it." He pulled out a piece of paper from inside his suit jacket and handed it to Mac.

~*~

Kevin had this annoying habit of being right, Frisco decided. He couldn't forget any of it. Having a flashback in front Mac at a crime scene just proved that. The Aussie must think he was a complete nutcase. "No, I can't forget," he whispered, just barely shaking his head.

"What was it about the scene that set you off?" Kevin asked softly.

"The blood. There was just so much of it."

"What did it remind you of?"

"My execution in Kandahar."

"I thought you didn't remember it."

"I didn't. All these memories just came flooding into my mind."

"And?" When Frisco didn't answer immediately, Kevin pulled the only card he had. "Fine. I'll go ask Mac."

"The blood was running down the street, in the gutter," Frisco answered reluctantly. "As they led me to the firing squad, all I could see was the blood running down the gutter. The bodies were thrown in a pile, like garbage. Kinda like in the pictures of the Nazi concentration camps, the piles of bodies in the mass graves and in the gas chambers, only we were left in the alley." He wiped away a tear that had escaped and fallen down his cheek. "The last thing I remember seeing was the blood pumping out of my body as they threw me on top of the pile." He looked at the other man. "All I remember is all the blood. We got to the scene..." He stopped, feeling like he was falling apart at the seams. Everything he'd felt was rushing at him again, images included.

He gripped the table tightly, enough to turn his knuckles white, in a vain attempt to stay in the here and now. A drink. God, he wanted a drink. Badly. He'd give his life for a shot. Tequila, whisky, scotch, cheap beer, rubbing alcohol... Anything that would get him so drunk he wouldn't have to think about everything. Drunk enough that he could go back to being numb again. Not feeling anything was light years better than what he felt now.

Frisco felt Kevin touch his arm in support. "Please keep going," Kevin gently urged.

"There was so much blood at the scene. That's all I could see. I walked away and all I could see was blood. It just kept coming and I couldn't stop it. It was like I was in Kandahar again."

"Next appointment, we're going to start working on some relaxation techniques that should help stave off the flashbacks." Kevin paused, knowing what he was about to say was not going to go over well. "Maybe you should consider taking a leave of absence."

"No," Frisco answered forcefully.

"I just thought it might make therapy go a little easier, without all the stress," Kevin backed off, not wanting to upset him further. "It was just a suggestion."

"I can handle it."

Frisco felt Kevin's eyes on him, studying him. "Good," the psychiatrist answered unconvincingly, but smiled warmly. "You've had a tough couple of days. You're still here. How do you feel?"

"I could use a drink."

The smile disappeared, replaced by a concerned frown. "That's something else we need to work on. I want you to lay off the alcohol."

"What is wrong with a little drink?"

"It's never a little drink with you," Tony answered, no longer content to remain silent.

Frisco glared at his older brother. "I'm not speaking to you."

Tony just shrugged. "So what's new? You've spent half your life not speaking to me."

"Oh, go screw yourself, Saint Anthony."

"Okay, okay," Kevin interrupted. "Frisco, the drinking's not doing you any good. Besides, you shouldn't be drinking on your medication."

"Are you ganging up on me?" Frisco looked from his brother to his ex-wife to his psychiatrist. "Look, I'm screwed up. I know that. I don't need you three telling me at every opportunity!"

"We're just worried about you," Felicia said quietly.

"You gave up the right to be worried about me," he snarled, anger suddenly rising up in him. This he could deal with. Anger was an emotion he knew well, an emotion he could handle. And Felicia deserved it for throwing away what they had.

"Give it a rest, Andrew!" Tony shouted, tired of his younger brother's increasingly antagonistic attitude towards anyone who tried to help him.

Fury flashed across Frisco's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it. Fuck this. He didn't need this. To hell with all of them. He stood up, knocking his chair over, and stormed out of the room. 

Directly into the path of Sonny Corinthos.


	27. Chapter 27

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Against The Grain" by Garth Brooks. Starts where the last chapter left off, with Sean giving the orders to Mac, getting Frisco off the hook for murder. Last chapter to deal directly with Alcazar, thank goodness. ;)  
  


_Well, I have been accused of making my own rules.  
There must be rebel blood just a-runnin' through my veins.  
But I ain't no hypocrite, what you see is what you get.  
And that's the only way I know to play the game._  


Mac opened the document, reading it slowly. He'd never seen a WSB death warrant before, so he could only assume it was real. Scott grabbed the paper from him, looking at it suspiciously. "How do we know you didn't draw this up after the fact?" Mac asked.

"Off the record?" Sean clarified. Mac nodded. "I had it sitting on my desk, debating on giving the mission to Frisco in fact, when I got word that Alcazar had been murdered. He just saved me the trouble of telling him to do it. The warrant was entered in the system and immediately closed as completed. Our records will back up any claim that he was ordered to terminate Alcazar."

"But his confession was the truth?"

"I don't know," Sean answered, shrugging, "I wasn't there. I assume it is. I know he was in Port Charles that night and I know he was drunk enough that he had no recollection of anything he'd done for almost three days. I was sure he did it as soon as I heard." He glanced towards Alexis. "Even if I hadn't already signed the warrant, the WSB could never let this go to trial. With Frisco's emotional history, an insanity defense is a given, but that would require submitting his medical, psychiatric and service records to the court. There are things in those records, missions he's been on, that can not become public knowledge. I could be fired if it ever got out that I slipped them to Kevin."

Scott cursed. "So that's it?"

"That's it," the older man answered. "I assume you never booked him, Mac?"

"Nope," the Aussie answered. "He's free to go."

"What was said off the record goes no farther than this room. Is that clear?" Sean asked, looking threateningly at Mac, Scott and Alexis in turn. All three nodded in understanding. "The only thing that gets said from here on out is the official story. And Mac," he looked at the commissioner, "I want all the copies of his statement."

Mac reached across his desk and picked up the Alcazar file, pulling out the statement he'd put in there only a couple hours earlier. "I gave Frisco a copy."

"I have it. It's in my briefcase. I'll go get it," Alexis said, leaving the room. The three men followed her quietly. All of them stopped in the doorway to the squad room when they saw a very angry Frisco face to face with Sonny Corinthos.

"Anyone else wish that Frisco'll lose it and beat the crap out of him?" Scott whispered. Alexis, Mac and Sean just glared at him. "Oh, don't tell me you three weren't thinking the same thing!"

~*~

The last person Frisco wanted to see at that moment was the short little shit standing in front of him. Mr. Scarface Wannabe. With the smug ass mole in tow, no less. Fucking wonderful.

"Get the fuck out of my way, Corinthos," he growled, pushing the mob boss out of the way.

"Shouldn't you be in lockup, Jones?" Sonny ran his thumb over his lip in that annoying, arrogant way of his. "I heard a rumor you confessed to murdering Luis Alcazar."

Frisco clenched his fists in anger. He wasn't about to get into a fight with the little shit in the middle of a police station. "And just how did you hear that?"

"I've got my sources," Sonny vaguely answered.

"What are you doing here, Sonny?" Mac asked.

"One of my employees was mistakenly arrested. I'm here to bail him out."

Frisco sighed, annoyed. He didn't need to listen to the mini-mobster and his irritatingly slow speech patterns. "You got what you need from me, Mac?"

"Yes. You're free to go," the commissioner answered.

"Free to go?" Sonny asked dumbfounded. 

"It's not your business, Sonny," Mac replied. "You can see the desk sergeant about bail."

"Not my business? Brenda and Jason got convicted for a crime he committed and you're letting him go!"

"I said it wasn't any of your business," Mac insisted.

"Brenda and Jason are my business. This guy," he said, pointing to Frisco, "confessed. He should be in handcuffs!"

"What is this? The world according to MiniMe? Shouldn't you be off humping somebody's leg?" Frisco asked contemptuously.

"Alcazar shouldn't have pissed off the WSB and that's all I'm going to tell you, Sonny," Mac told him, getting in between the mobster and the agent.

"So he gets a free pass for murder, just because he's a fucking spy?" Sonny shouted.

"As opposed to being a mobster? And a lousy one at that!" Frisco shot back.

"Hey, I own up to my mistakes, unlike you!"

"Oh yeah? What was the Borg doing there that night, huh? Extending your warmest wishes to Luis? You haven't owned up to shit, Sonny-boy!"

"Sonny, there is no need for this," Ric urged, grabbing Sonny's arm as Mac tried to keep the two men apart. "I'm sure there is a good reason charges have not been filed. Right, Commissioner?"

"Yes, there is," Sean answered. "But I am not going to discuss any of the WSB's actions with you, Corinthos. Brenda and Jason were vindicated in the end, so leave it at that."

"He was in the damn courtroom during the trial! He even talked to both Scott Baldwin and Alexis Davis! He could've gotten them off at any time, Donely! But he didn't! He waited until the evidence piled up against Skye Quartermaine, then confessed!" 

Sean glanced at Frisco before answering. "We had our reasons for that. It's over, everybody's home and happy. That's the end of it. Now if you'll excuse us, Agent Jones and I need to talk."

Frisco pulled himself away from Mac and headed for the door. "I'm going to Luke's."

"Nice execution, Jones," Ric whispered, as Frisco passed him.

"Fuck you, Lansing."

As soon as the door slammed behind Frisco, Sonny angrily turned to his attorney. "How the hell do you know him?"

Mac just smirked. For once, he was one up on Sonny and Jason.

~*~

Kevin just watched the scene from the doorway of the interrogation room. "Well, at least Frisco didn't hit him," he said to Tony. "We've got to do something about his temper."

"He's always been a hothead, ever since he learned to throw things," Tony told him. "He's like Dad in that respect, although I'd never tell him that."

"Your father had a temper?"

"Oh yeah. Especially when he drank."

Kevin turned to the older man. Frisco hadn't mentioned a history of alcoholism. "He was an alcoholic?"

"I don't know if I'd call him an alcoholic, but he drank sometimes. He just usually went overboard with it when he did drink."

"How long did this go on?"

Tony shrugged. "Years, I guess. I don't really remember him drinking a lot until after my brother was born."

"How bad was his drinking then?" 

"Like I said, he drank sometimes. Not often, but he'd get completely wasted when he did." He paused, looking down, troubled. "After Frisco ran away, my aunt mentioned that Dad's drinking had gotten worse after I left for college."

"So Frisco might have seen more than you did?" Kevin asked, processing the information the older doctor was giving him.

"He's never said anything to me about it if he did," Tony answered, half-waving off his own idea. His brother would've told him. As angry as he was after their mother died, Frisco wouldn't have held something like that back, he would've thrown it at Tony when he left. He'd yelled at him for everything else.

"Kevin?" Felicia asked, sitting in the chair her ex-husband had just vacated. "Is Frisco going to be alright by himself? He was pretty upset."

"He's just going to go get drunk," Kevin answered cynically. "He'll be okay, Felicia. Sean's going after him."

"God, he told me he'd been executed, I had no idea it was so terrible," she said, holding back her own tears. "I can't even begin to imagine what else he's been through."

"More than any human should ever have to endure, I'll tell you that much. And his temper's not helping matters right now."

"I know I shouldn't be asking this, but is he getting any better?" Tony asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the table. "He seemed to be okay when he came back, but he's just steadily gotten worse. It's almost like he's hanging on by a thread."

"You sound like Frisco." Kevin frowned. "He's got a lot to work through. He needs to get all these pent up emotions out and it's very difficult for him. He will get better. It's just going to take time."

"I appreciate you telling me, Kevin."

"Frisco warned me you might pester me about him," the psychiatrist said, chuckling. "He gave me permission to tell you whatever it took to get off his back."

Tony rolled his eyes. "That sounds like something my brother would say."


	28. Chapter 28

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Cry To Me" by Heart. Wasn't going to post this tonight, but what the hell. This is the last completed chapter, so ya'll are caught up with everyone else. Updates will not be coming as fast now. BTW, I love feedback, for those of you that haven't left me a note yet... ;)  
  


_Poor little dreamer  
Stand inside the door  
You can't find the easy rhymes  
Of time you had before_

_It hurts my heart so bad  
Seeing you sigh and shake  
Broken down so low - so sad  
I can't let you break_  


When Frisco walked into Luke's Place, Luke was sitting at the bar, drinking. He took the seat next to his friend, who wordlessly passed him the bottle and reached over the bar for a glass. 

"Another bad day?" Luke asked as Frisco poured himself a drink.

"Yep," Frisco answered flatly.

"You owe me a bottle from last night," the older man reminded him.

"Sorry about that. I had to leave."

"Why?"

"I needed to talk to Kevin." Frisco finished his drink and poured himself another. "Bad day?"

"Yep."

"Laura?"

"Nik's trying to keep me from her. Says I'm a bad for her." Luke bitterly mimicked his stepson and downed another glass. "Even got a restraining order. Can you believe that?"

The door opened, catching Luke's attention, but Frisco didn't need to look. He knew exactly who it was. "Took you long enough, Sean," he said, but continued to stare straight ahead.

"You and me need to talk," Sean told him.

There was not a single ounce of sympathy in the older agent's voice, much to Frisco's dismay. He'd expected him to be at least a little understanding about this. "Look, if it's about Alcazar, I'm not sorry. The bastard deserved it."

"Let's go somewhere else."

Frisco ignored him. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked his old friend resentfully.

"What?" Sean asked, not quite sure what Frisco meant.

"You knew I killed him, didn't you?" 

"Yes, I knew." Sean sighed. He could only confirm the accusation, knowing it wasn't what his troubled friend wanted to hear. "I didn't tell you because our psychiatrist felt it would be better if you remembered on your own."

Back to the fucking psychiatrist, he thought contemptuously. "That guy was fucking stupid, Sean."

"Kevin recommended the same thing."

"You told Kevin and you didn't tell me?" Frisco spit out angrily, turning towards Sean.

"Not specifically. I asked in a more general sense. But he said the same thing. You needed to remember on your own."

"Great," Frisco snorted. "Did I murder anyone else I should know about?"

"Frisco..." 

"So, are you firing me?" he asked, not letting his boss finish.

"Has the WSB ever fired anyone for murder before?" Sean answered sarcastically. 

"Hell no! That's grounds for promotion," Luke joked. Frisco glared at the other man. "Lighten up, man!"

"Shut up, Luke," Frisco growled.

"Hey, if you two want to have a private conversation, go somewhere else. Otherwise… It's my club and I'm butting in whenever I want." Not receiving any answer, he looked at the two very serious agents. "You can use my office. But the bottle stays here. I'm not running a charity for alcoholic WSB agents, you know."

Sean grabbed Frisco's arm and practically dragged him to the back of the club.

~*~

"Let go of me!" Frisco yelled, once inside the office. "You didn't need to drag me!"

"I wasn't sure you'd leave the bottle," Sean said, pissed off. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Frisco ignored the question. "I was acting under orders, huh?"

"According to the signed death warrant that was sitting on my desk before the murder."

Frisco sat in Luke's chair, setting his feet on the desk and leaning back, just as the club owner would've. "That's the end of it, then," he said, his voice void of any emotion.

Sean looked away, rubbing his forehead, aggravation setting in. "You want to tell me what happened at the crime scene?"

"I had a flashback," Frisco admitted quietly.

"Of what?"

"Kandahar."

Sean nodded his head understandingly. "You okay now?"

"As good as ever," the younger agent mumbled. 

"That doesn't inspire confidence."

"Gee, Sean, I'm great!" he said cheerily, trying to sound as fake as possible. "Better?"

Sean laughed humorlessly. "You know, you really are an asshole when you're drinking."

"Maybe I don't feel like being Mr. Laid-Back-Party-Guy anymore," Frisco sneered.

"You have never been laid back as long as I've known you. You've always had a chip on your shoulder."

Sean thought he knew him so well. Fuck that. "Good to know," he said with a laugh.

"You were doing good, Andrew!" Sean said, slamming his fist on the desk in frustration. "What happened? You told me yourself things weren't so bad. You were happy to be home. I come back and you're right back where you were."

The pain in Frisco's eyes sent a chill up Sean's spine. "I found out home wasn't what I thought it was." 

"You're letting things get to you," Sean replied, putting his hands on his hips.

"I forgot Felicia's god-given talent for ripping my heart out and stomping on it incessantly," the younger man said quietly and heartbreakingly.

"What happened now?"

"She dumped me, Sean."

"Give her time. You've thrown a lot at her feet."

"It's not that simple."

"It is that simple. She's not going to take you back any time soon. Not until she can process everything, including you. Your coming home threw her for a loop she wasn't ready for."

"That makes me feel so much better, Donley," Frisco said sarcastically. "Please tell me more. I just want to make sure I kill myself for the right reason."

That sent up warning flags in Sean's mind. "Don't talk like that," he said, his throat suddenly dry. "We're not going down that road again."

Frisco couldn't look at him. He knew he shouldn't be saying these things, but who the hell was Sean to come in and control his life again... "You act like this is your life."

"Who sat by your bed for days waiting for you to wake up? Who helped you through every step forward, every setback? Me and Tiffany. Hell, even Rita was there for you, no matter how hard you tried to push her away. It's not just your life, it's all of our lives."

"You did nothing but push me."

"Someone had to. You used to be grateful for that."

"That was before I was dumb enough to go back to Felicia. Every time I've gotten back with her, she's torn my heart to shreds."

"And you still love her."

"All that proves is that I'm an idiot."

"Well, I won't argue with that." Sean took a deep breath. "Don't throw your life away again, Andrew. I won't hesitate to fire you this time."

Frisco looked at his boss. He wasn't even sure he could call him a friend anymore. For the better part of twenty years, this job had been his life. It was the only way of life he knew. And now Sean was threatening to take that away. "Some friend you are."

"Yes, I am your friend. That's why I'm willing to let you fall on your ass this time. You can pick yourself back up." Sean walked out of the office, not even looking back.

~*~

Frisco glanced at his watch. Tony would be getting off work soon and he wanted to be out of the apartment before his brother left the hospital. He would sleep at the base tonight and his place would be ready in the morning. Finally, his own place, something he hadn't had since Felicia had moved in with him. Georgie was dragging him out shopping in the afternoon and she'd even convinced Maxie to come along. Knowing how excited his youngest daughter was, it would be a big day.

He looked around the room, making sure he'd gotten everything. Not that he couldn't get it later, but he didn't want to leave anything behind.

He stiffened at the sound of a key in the lock. He closed his eyes, just holding the strap of his duffel bag in his hands, waiting for Tony to walk through the door. He'd wanted to avoid a confrontation, but apparently luck was still against him.

"Frisco? What's this?" Tony said, shutting the door behind him.

"I wasn't expecting you home so soon."

"I finished my rounds a little early," he answered, looking at the bags. "Were you planning to leave without saying goodbye?"

Frisco guiltily met his gaze and quickly looked away. "My townhouse is supposed to be ready tomorrow."

"There's still a night between now and then."

"I'm going to stay at the base tonight."

"You going to tell me why or were you just planning on leaving me in the dark?" Tony asked angrily.

"It's for the best, Tony. We just keep arguing anyway."

"We've always argued. What's the difference now?"

"I don't want to fight anymore," Frisco said despondently.

"Okay. We won't fight. Doesn't mean you have to go," Tony quietly urged, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder.

This was just the way it had to be, Frisco reminded himself. He'd made a decision and he was going to stick to it. His older brother wasn't going to talk him out of it. "Yes, I do." 

"It's one night, Andy. Can't you just stay tonight?"

Frisco picked up his bags. "I have to go, Tony. I've got work to do."

"I can't talk you into staying?" His younger brother shook his head. Tony sighed resignedly. "Fine. At least let me help you with your bags."

They walked silently downstairs and packed Frisco's few belongings into his car. "Thank you," Frisco said, once everything was inside. The two brothers stood for a few minutes, neither really knowing what to say. "I appreciate you letting me stay for so long."

"It was no problem. You know you don't have to go."

"I know."

Tony managed a soft smile. "It was nice to have you around, even if you did annoy me most of the time."

Frisco smiled regretfully. "I'm your little brother. It's my job."

Tony pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tightly. "I love you, kiddo," he whispered.

"I should be going," Frisco told him, pulling away from his brother. He got into the Mustang with one last wave to his brother and drove away, part of him wishing he'd stayed.


	29. Chapter 29

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Shoebox" by Barenaked Ladies. Hopefully this is more upbeat than the last few chapters have been. Goblz- I always look forward to your reviews! Thank you so much!!!

  
  


_Did somebody tell you  
This is how it's supposed to be?  
Or did you just find it  
And you don't want any more from me?_

"Dad, you have to repaint your room."

"Why?" Frisco whined to his oldest daughter. She and her little sister had been dragging him around this department store for hours, looking at towels, sheets and everything else he'd need for his house, and nitpicking every choice he made, especially Maxie. The color was wrong or too hard to match, the print clashed with something else, fabric was all wrong… All three were now frustrated, tired, hungry, and finally out of the damn store. "What's wrong with the color of the walls?"

"The paint doesn't match the stuff you bought," Georgie added, stifling a yawn as she climbed into the back of the Mustang.

He should've just given them his credit card and let them take care of the decorating. "So?" 

"Those colors don't go together!" Maxie told him, rolling her eyes.

"White goes with everything!" Frisco argued, wondering why he was trying to defend a gallon or so of paint.

"The walls are eggshell, not white!" she corrected him.

Eggshell? What kind of color was eggshell? It looked white to him... "What's the difference?" he asked tiredly.

"Eggshell has more yellow in it."

"They look the same to me, Maxie," he said, getting in the driver's seat.

"Trust me, Dad. It'll look like you puked all over the walls."

He knew when to throw in the towel. If he didn't, she'd remind him about it for years, just like her mother who still reminded him of her broken ankle the night they'd met. "Fine, I'll paint them, but you girls are helping me."

"Fine," Maxie agreed, looking back at her little sister. "Let's go look at paint."

"Do we have to?" Frisco groaned as Maxie directed him to another store.

~*~

Frisco's first night in his new house was spent sleeping on the sofa Tiffany had bought him as soon as she found out he was in need of furniture, with the girls in Georgie's room. While picking out paint for his bedroom, Maxie had decided she didn't like the color of her room either, so the three of them had ended up repainting both rooms, ensuring neither he or Maxie would be sleeping their own beds. Amazingly, between the painting until the wee hours of the morning and keeping the girls from throwing paint and paint brushes at each other, he'd worn himself out enough to actually sleep for a few hours.

He laid on the sofa, eyes closed, just enjoying the quietness. For once, he felt something remotely resembling peace. No nightmares that he could remember, no sirens, no bombs, no gunfire, no annoying insects or animals, no fighting daughters…

His eyes shot open. It was too quiet. Maxie and Georgie were never this quiet, even in the morning. He glanced at his watch. He'd slept later than he'd thought. The girls were usually up by now. "Girls?" he called out, not receiving an answer. 

A car pulled up outside before he could get up to check on the girls. He froze and reached for the gun he always kept nearby, listening to the muffled voices coming closer.

"It's mine!"

"It is not! If you wanted one, you should've said so while we were there! I'm not giving it to you!"

"Come on, Maxie! I always want chocolate chip!"

"Well, you didn't ask for chocolate chip, so you didn't get chocolate chip. Get over it, Georgie!" Maxie scolded, opening the door for her sister.

Frisco fell back on to his pillows, relieved. "I really wish you girls wouldn't scare me like that," he said as the girls entered the house.

"We didn't mean to wake you up, Dad," Maxie told him, looking a little guilty. "We know you don't sleep much."

"You didn't wake me. I woke up and it was way too quiet for you two. Where were you?"

"Sorry, we thought we'd be back before you woke up. We just went to get breakfast, since the only thing in the refrigerator is leftover pizza."

"Too good for cold pizza, young lady?" Frisco teased, not really wanting pizza either. Maxie just rolled her eyes.

"We got bagels!" Georgie piped in.

Well, that explained the argument. "So who gets the chocolate chip one?" he asked, looking in the paper bag Maxie had left on the floor.

"I do!" both girls said at the same time, glaring at each other.

"Are you going to fight over it?"

"It's mine!" Georgie insisted.

"No, it's not!" Maxie argued.

Frisco sighed melodramatically. "Looks like I'll just have to eat it," he said, swiping the disputed bagel before either girl could get their hands on it.

"Dad!" both girls protested.

Frisco just grinned and took a bite. "No fighting," he said, muffled through a mouth full of bagel.

~*~

Frisco stumbled on some loose rocks as he and Luke entered the hidden entrance from the catacombs snaking underneath Port Charles to Spoon Island. When Luke called for backup, he knew he shouldn't have agreed to come with him. Luke Spencer could get himself into more trouble than anyone Frisco had ever met. He didn't even want to think about the numbers of laws they were breaking. They were so going to get in trouble for this. "Okay, Luke, you want to explain to me what we're doing wandering through the catacombs?"

"You lived down here. You know where these tunnels go. Figure it out."

"Why on earth are we breaking into Wyndemere?"

"The Cassadines, of course! Do I have to spell it out for you?"

Frisco rolled his eyes, growing quite annoyed. Luke was one of the worst people to try and get a straight answer out of. "What are you looking for? Helena's lingerie?"

Luke stopped working on the lock he was picking and closed his eyes disgustedly. "Now there's a thought I didn't need."

Frisco rolled his eyes again. "Hey, you're the one with painting of a half-naked Helena in your office!"

"Since you can't figure it out, Mr. Secret Agent, I'm trying to get something on Nikolas so I get that restraining order revoked," Luke told him halfheartedly, concentrating on the lock.

"Wouldn't it be easier to get something on Scott? We both know he's dirty."

Luke grinned in the darkness as the lock gave and the door opened. "No, it has to be Nik," he said adamantly, entering the very dark mansion with only a dim pen light. "I want him away from my wife."

Frisco tried to follow the older man through the darkness of the gothic mansion, wishing he'd brought his own flashlight. "He's her son, Luke. Get over it already."

"Easy for you to say! You don't have to put up with him."

"No, I just have to put up with Mac the Super-Dad." Frisco gasped as he ran into a table. "Luke, do you have any idea where you're going?"

"The Bat Cave."

"Excuse me?"

"Vlad's office."

As they snuck their way around the huge mansion, Frisco wondered how well Luke really knew this house. There was no way anyone could find anything in the darkness, unless they knew exactly where to go. Knowing Luke, he'd had the house memorized for years, but it made Frisco a little uneasy. This was a bad idea... They were definitely going to get in trouble. "I really shouldn't be aiding and abetting you. I've already got Donely on my back."

"He hasn't gone back to Boston?"

"Hell no! He wants to 'observe' me," he said, mocking Sean's stern tone.

"What the hell does that mean?" By the tone of Luke's voice, he almost sounded amused.

"He doesn't trust me," Frisco explained. "Hanging around with you isn't helping."

"Well, he ain't firing on all 8 cylinders either," the older man scoffed, opening a door.

"Huh?" Frisco asked inattentively, following Luke into the office. At least this room had windows with a little moonlight streaming in, allowing him to actually see something.

"A man would have to be loco to waste their life in the WSB!"

"Thanks, Luke."

Luke patted him on the back. "I got respect for you, man. You used to be a rock star."

"Oh, I get it! Fighting terrorists, bad," Frisco replied, frowning and scrunching up his face as he spoke, then smiled brightly. "Rock star, good." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "You got one warped set of morals, buddy."

Luke didn't answer, busying himself with searching through his stepson's desk. Suddenly, he jumped up and cheered. "Aha!"

"What?"

"This is exactly what I need!" Luke exclaimed, shaking the papers around. "Princy-boy is going down!"

"What is it?" Frisco asked, trying to catch a glimpse of the paper, almost impossible between the darkness and Luke's excitement.

"It's a surprise!"

"No seriously, Luke. What'd you find?"

"Wonderful, wonderful things!" the older man said blissfully. "But I can't tell you!"

"You dragged me out here in the middle of the night, made me an accomplice and you're not even going to tell me what you found?" Frisco asked incredulously, more than slightly miffed that he was getting shafted. 

"Oh yes! Cannot lose the element of surprise on this one!"

Frisco watched astonishedly as his friend dancing around the room like he'd just won the lottery or something. "I think you're ready for the padded room next to Laura's, because you have completely lost it."

"Moi?" Luke asked, feigning offense. "I'm surprised Ferncliff isn't overrun with all the mixed nuts loose in this town."

Frisco shook his head. Luke Spencer was a piece of work. One of a kind piece of work, thank god. "I'll take your word for it. You're the king nut."

~*~

Frisco walked into the Port Charles Grille, feeling strangely out of place in his leather jacket when everyone else seemed to be in suits. Oh well. He just wanted a drink and with Sean in town, he wasn't going to risk being seen at Luke's. He didn't need the lectures again. He figured if he was here, he could say he was having dinner if Sean happened to find him. The brunette at the bar immediately caught his attention. Maybe coming here wasn't such a bad idea after all. At least there was a friendly face to talk to.

"Counselor," he greeted, taking the seat next to her.

Alexis turned her head sharply, clearly not expecting anyone to address her, but smiled softly at the sight of her client. "Hello, Frisco."

"You don't look too happy."

"I'm fine," she said a little too quickly. Frisco raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "It's nothing, really," she insisted, giving him a disheartened smile.

"Ah," he replied knowingly. "Phrases I'm well acquainted with."

"It's nothing," she repeated.

"Wanna tell me about this 'nothing'? I'll even buy my favorite attorney a drink," Frisco offered, waving the bartender over and ordering them both vodka.

She narrowed her eyes. "How many attorneys do you know in this town?" she asked suspiciously.

"Three," he answered, chuckling. "But you're better looking than Lee Baldwin."

Alexis smiled again. "As long as Scott wasn't my only competition."

Frisco couldn't help but laugh at her insecurity where Baldwin was concerned. It was kind of cute. "Oh, Scotty's got nothing on you, babe. I'm sure you can out-maneuver him any day of the week. When he's not cheating, of course."

"When would that be?" she asked skeptically. 

He leaned in and spoke softly, locking eyes with the attorney. "When I find out, I'll let you know." He sat back in his chair, sipping his drink. "So, who is this 'nothing'? Old boyfriend?"

"What makes you think it's an old boyfriend?"

He shrugged. "Wild guess. You don't seem the type to get too flustered over work."

"But I'm the type to get flustered over a man?" she scoffed.

"Everyone gets flustered over old loves."

"Even you?" she challenged.

"Especially when it comes to my ex-wife."

Alexis glanced behind them awkwardly. "Then don't turn around."

Stupidly, Frisco turned to see what she was talking about. His heart jumped in his throat when he saw what Alexis was warning him about. Felicia was having dinner with Ned Ashton. The two looked very cozy, enjoying each other's company and making his stomach turn. "It's just dinner," he said, shrugging, trying convince himself more than Alexis.

"It's definitely not just dinner," she told him, staring at her drink. "I briefly flirted with the idea of going to Luke's and getting drunk when I saw them, but I didn't want Ned thinking I was running away from him."

"You and Ashton, huh?" He glanced at his ex-wife again. She was dating Ned freakin' Ashton now? What did Ashton have that he didn't? Well, besides the boring, stable job with no danger and the leather pants that actually still fit... "What happened?"

"I panicked and ran out of the wedding. A little over two years ago."

This wasn't happening. This was not happening. He turned away from Felicia and Ned, barely acknowledging Alexis. He was trying to desperately to process what was going on. The only thing he knew was his wife was with someone else. Again. "How does she find it so easy to move on and I can barely get laid without feeling like I'm cheating on her?"

Alexis's heart went out to her client. She could see how much he still cared for his former wife. Seeing her with another man had to be killing him. It wasn't exactly easy for seeing Ned with someone else either. "How long have you been divorced?" she asked cautiously.

"This time? Almost fifteen years."

"This time? You and Felicia have been divorced before?"

"Yeah. The WSB reported me as missing in action and presumed dead shortly after I joined up. She, Tony and this other guy, Colton, went to find my grave in Quebec. They found it, made the assumption I was in it, and within six months, she was shacking up with Colton. All the while, I was stuck in a Bulgarian prison awaiting execution, thanks to this terrorist group I was investigating." He chuckled humorlessly, remembering what he came back to. "I escaped and got back to Port Charles just in time for the 'I do's. Boy, was I shocked. Not only was my wife marrying another man, she was marrying the guy the tried to kill me."

She stopped drinking. "He tried to kill you?" she repeated incredulously.

Frisco nodded somberly. "He was part of that terrorist group and they had brainwashed him to kill me. Anyway, they came home from their honeymoon to a very big surprise."

"I bet."

"She couldn't choose between me and him. Don't know why, Colton was about as exciting as root canal, but instead of making a decision, she served me with divorce papers and left town for a while. The whole thing became this big mess, me and Colton both trying to outdo each other to win her back. In the end though, she chose me." He shook his head. Divorce, just to get back together a few months later. So totally pointless. "I escaped from Bulgaria in June, we were remarried in January." When he thought about it, the whole fucking mess was one big karmic joke. All that work to get her back, all the heartache, it was all for nothing. Then and now. 

"So you were divorced for less than six months? Why did she even bother with it?"

He gave Alexis a dejected smile. "Don't try figuring out Felicia's logic. Half the time she doesn't have any."

The attorney raised an eyebrow. "I'd beg to differ on that."

"If you'd known her when she was young, you'd understand. She's mellowed since we split. No more rushing into things head-first with no plan." Luke Spencer came to mind, making him rethink that statement. "Most of the time anyway."

"What caused the second divorce? If you don't mind me asking." 

"Scoping out the competition?" he teased. 

"I'm just curious," she responded defensively.

"I was kidding," Frisco said, grinning and patting her on the knee. He left his hand there a little longer than necessary, a move that was not lost on Alexis. "My job is what killed us. Every time we've broken up, it's always had to do with my job. She couldn't stand me always being out on missions, never knowing when I'd be home or if I was even alive. She couldn't handle the danger I was in, even when I was just a beat cop." He thought for a moment. "This time, it was more the effects of my job than anything else. Too long apart, I guess."

"You've been together since you came back?"

"Sort of," he answered, shrugging. "I'd really rather not talk about it."

Alexis snuck another glance back at her former fiancé. "You ever think about what would've happened if you hadn't left?" she asked thoughtfully, glancing away as soon as her eyes met Ned's.

"I try not to. Just makes me feel like an even bigger ass." He finished off his drink, the bartender bringing him another as he rested his arm on the back of her chair. "I take it from your question that you do?"

"Sometimes. My life wouldn't be so complicated, that's for sure."

"Yeah, I hear that single parenting can be terrible, not that I know anything about it."

"Can I tell you something? In confidence, I mean. Can I trust you?" Alexis turned to him, a desperate look in her dark eyes. "But you cannot tell anyone. You have to promise me."

He held up two fingers and smiled. "Scout's honor."

"You were a Boy Scout?" she asked in disbelief.

"For a little while," he said, looking down guiltily. "They kinda kicked me out."

She opened her mouth to answer, but he could see that she thought better of it. He just grinned. "Do I even want to know?" she asked.

The tent fire, the booby trapped sleeping bag, the rifle incident... "Probably not," he answered vaguely. "So what's this big secret?"

She took a deep breath and leaned towards him. "Kristina is not Ned's daughter," she whispered.

Okay... "What's so secret about that? I'd think you'd be ecstatic to get that kid away from the Quartermaines."

She shook her head. "The father can never know. I don't want my daughter near him."

What could be worse than the Quartermaines? He liked them – well, except for Edward – by themselves, but as a group, that family was nuts. He couldn't imagine who could be worse. "Who is he?"

"Sonny Corinthos."

"Corinthos?" Frisco asked, not sure he heard her correctly. "No offense, but you seem too smart to get involved with a mobster."

"He was my client."

"Even worse."

"It was after Ned and I broke up, and… I don't know. We got to be friends and I developed… a little crush on him. Then a rival boss planted a bomb in the penthouse and Carly left him…" she told him frantically, trailing off.

"You saw your chance," he finished.

"It's not like I planned it. It just sort of… happened. Carly found us, got mad and faked her death, Sonny was crushed. When she came back to town, he went back to her. I ended up pregnant. Then my sister was killed in an explosion meant for him…"

She was ranting. For some reason, it amused him. "Breathe, Alexis," he told her, trying to stifle a smile.

"The people around him die," she said insistently. "I don't want my daughter near that."

"I don't blame you." Frisco knew he'd probably regret this, but he hated to see a woman like Alexis Davis frantic over scum like Corinthos. He just wasn't worth it. "If it makes you feel better, it might not be an issue much longer."

"What do you mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"I'm not allowed to comment on current investigations," he answered, intentionally vague.

Alexis caught the hint and visibly relaxed. "Of course." Noticing how close Frisco was leaning towards her, she grinned seductively. "Are you trying to make our exes jealous?" she asked, glancing at Felicia and Ned.

He glanced the same way as well. "Do you think it's working?" he replied mischievously.

"You want to go play pool at Jake's?"

It was his turn to be surprised. "You play pool?"

She shrugged. "Haven't for a while, but I used to be pretty good. I was a bit of a shark in law school."

"My boss is still in town. I can't be seen at Jake's." Frisco flashed her a boyish grin. "However, I do have a brand new pool table at my house, never been used. Everything's still in boxes. If you're interested, that is."

"Just pool?"

"Just pool. I don't think I'm good for much else right now."

"Think they'll notice?" she asked, gesturing towards their exes.

"The way they keep glancing over here, I'd say so."

"Curiosity or jealousy?"

He shrugged. "Can't tell. Could be either."

Alexis didn't hesitate in answering. "You're on." 

Frisco smiled broadly and threw some money on the bar. He wrapped an arm around Alexis's waist and they walked out of the restaurant, leaving Felicia and Ned gawking at them.

  



	30. Chapter 30

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Do What You Gotta Do" by Garth Brooks. Goblz- thanks! Lots more Frisco/Alexis to come!  
  


_Well, there's people that'll tell you  
It's just no use  
And there's people that'll tell you  
That you're gonna lose  
People that'll tell you  
Anything you're gonna listen to  
Do what you gotta do_  


Frisco whistled as he walked into Kevin's office for his appointment. "Hey, Doc!"

The psychiatrist leaned back in his chair, taken back by his patient's good mood. "I'm sorry, I have an appointment with a very distressed patient, could you come back at another time?"

Frisco sat down on the couch. "Ha ha. Very funny, Doc."

"Sorry. You're smiling. I was expecting you to be pissed off or at the very least depressed," Kevin said, still surprised.

Frisco threw up his hands defensively. "Can't a guy be in a good mood?"

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "You haven't been in a good mood for years, Frisco."

The agent rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm in a good mood now. Don't bring me down, Doc."

"Far be it for me to something like that," Kevin teased. "So what has put you in such a good mood? Get back together with Felicia?"

He shrugged, earning him an annoyed glare from the psychiatrist. "I just had a good weekend, that's all."

"What did you do that put you in such a good mood?"

"I had fun. Had the girls one night, went to the movies with Skye, ran into Alexis and we played pool."

"Sounds like fun to me. Good to see you enjoying yourself. Laughter is good for the soul."

Frisco smiled. "Maybe you should've told me that before."

"I tried. You weren't listening."

"Whatever," he said, rolling his eyes, but still smiling. "So what do you want to talk about today?"

"I didn't have anything planned. I figured you'd have plenty to talk about after the last week or so." Kevin thought for a moment. There were some things he did want to discuss, maybe now would be a good time. "Let's talk about your job."

Frisco's smiled slowly disappeared. If there was a way to kill his good mood, bringing up his job was it. He loved his work, but after everything he'd been through, the job was hell on his mood. "What about my job?"

"Well, it's something that's been on my mind for awhile now and after all the Alcazar stuff..." Kevin trailed off. "Why do you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you keep putting yourself out there?" he asked. "This job has cost you almost everything, you've been through hell, it's nearly destroyed you emotionally. Why do you keep doing it?"

"Because I like what I do."

"Why?" He stopped Frisco before he could say anything. "And don't answer so quickly. I want you to put some thought into this."

Frisco did what he asked and thought about his answer for a few seconds, but that was all he needed. He knew what the answer was. "I like beating the bad guys. And I'm good at it."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you like it? Why are you good at it?"

"I guess I just have a talent for this kind of work." Frisco grinned mischievously. "When I was a kid, I used to practice shooting with an air rifle from our tree house."

Kevin laughed. "I can't see you as a sniper for some reason."

"Tell that to the post office. My parents took my air rifle away when we found out it was a federal offense to shoot mail carriers."

Kevin just shook his head. "Oh, Frisco..."

"Yeah," the agent said guiltily, but still amused by the memory. "Mom and Dad had a hell of a time convincing them not to press charges. And I was grounded for ages, on top of already being grounded for setting Tony's room on fire."

"You set your brother's room on fire? Why on earth did you do that?"

"It was an accident, I swear! I was playing with Tony's chemistry set, I had a burner going and the window was open. The drapes blew into the flame and caught fire. I tried to put it out, but I only made it worse. One of many incidents with Tony's chemistry set, unfortunately."

"There were more?"

"They were all accidents!"

"How many accidents can one kid have?" Kevin asked incredulously.

"Accidents tend to happen when you're playing with explosive chemicals."

The psychiatrist looked at his patient dubiously. "I had a chemistry set as a kid. They typically don't come with explosive chemicals."

Frisco looked away, trying to stifle his grin. "They do if you know what to mix. Plus Tony had some other stuff that didn't come with the set."

"And just how did you know what to mix?"

"Tony's chemistry books," he said matter-of-factly. "His college textbooks were a wealth of information if you wanted to blow something up. In fact, I still use some of that information."

"I must've missed the chapter on explosives."

"You missed out. I had a lot of fun with the neighbor girl's Barbies."

"Your neighbor's Barbies?" Kevin asked, no longer able to keep a straight face. "What did you do to the poor dolls, Frisco?"

"Well, we found out you can't launch a Barbie full of explosives from a rocket launcher."

"You were an awfully destructive child," he said, laughing.

"I have the WSB record for most cases in a row involving explosions, too," Frisco bragged proudly.

"Why am I not surprised? Where does this destructive streak come from?"

Frisco shrugged, ignoring Kevin's scolding glare for it. "You're the psychiatrist, you tell me. Tony just says I don't think before I do anything."

"Is that true?"

"No, I do think," he insisted. "Just most of the time, what sounds like a good idea at the time, turns out to be a bad idea when it's over."

"In other words, you don't think things through." Before Frisco could protest, Kevin guided the conversation back to the original subject. "Why do you like working for the WSB?"

"I told you. I like beating the bad guys."

"Why?"

"Why? You're worse than a kid!" Frisco rolled his eyes irritatedly. "Why, why, why!"

"Does this mean you don't have an answer?"

"I need a reason to like putting criminals away?" he asked pointedly. Kevin didn't answer, he just waited for Frisco to continue. "Fine. I've got two of them. Maxie and Georgie."

"It's not all the danger and adventure?"

"Is that what you're looking for? I admit it. I like the excitement and danger and adventure. It gets my blood pumping. But it gets old after awhile, especially now that I'm older. I keep doing it because I know I'm doing something good. Making the world safer for my girls, one terrorist group at a time."

"You've thought about this before?"

"It comes up every once in a while, so I've thought about it a lot. When it comes down to it, the answer is very simple."

"Have you ever tried to do anything else?"

"I used to be a musician."

"What else?"

"I, uh, dealt in, uh, pharmaceuticals."

"Pharmaceuticals?"

"Yeah..." Frisco trailed off, somewhat embarrassed, but leaving no doubt he did not want to elaborate any further.

"Have you ever had a normal job?"

"Does being a cop count?"

"I'll take that as my answer."

"I don't I'm cut out for a 'normal' job. That's just not me."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing you found something that makes you feel good. It does make you feel good, right?"

"When I'm not being thrown in foreign prisons and tortured, yeah. And for once in my life, I'm good at something."

That was something Kevin had heard many times from patients before. When it came to Frisco, it was a mixed blessing. It was good that he had something he felt good about, but Kevin feared a day would come when Frisco would have to leave his job behind. But that statement also was an insight in to the man's self-esteem issues. "You weren't good at anything before?"

"Not really. Guess I never found my niche before."

"Well, you've never done anything normal before, what made you think you weren't good at what you were doing?"

Frisco's eyes were filled with uncertainty. "I don't know."

"You can't come up with a better answer?"

"The WSB is the only thing I ever had any success at." 

"You weren't a good cop?"

"Well, Robert fired me. That says enough, I guess."

"Why did he fire you?"

Frisco sighed. Robert had been furious over the whole Lucas saga and Frisco had bore the brunt of his anger for helping Bobbie cover it up. "Long story."

"Did you screw up?"

"I always screw up. But that one was personal between me and Robert."

"So you didn't screw up on the job," Kevin reminded him. "What about your music career?"

"Didn't go anywhere," Frisco answered dejectedly. "A couple singles, then our drummer went to jail for killing his girlfriend."

"I don't see how that was your fault. And a couple singles is pretty good. Most musicians don't ever get that far."

"Do you get a kick out of poking holes in every belief I have?" Frisco scoffed.

"The ones I think are unhealthy, yes," Kevin shot back. "I want to know why you don't think you're good at anything else."

"I've never been good at anything."

"How do you know you're good at being a spy?"

"I'm still alive after all these years, for starters."

"And?"

"They keep telling me I'm good, so I must be."

"You need to be told?"

"No, I get the job done," he snapped. "That's good enough."

"Whoever told you weren't good?" Kevin's question was met only silence. "Robert? Sean? A music critic? Your third grade math teacher?" More silence. "Your father?"

A look of resignation passed across Frisco's face. "He never said anything like that," he said defensively.

"But that's the impression you got?"

He glared at Kevin, balling up his fists. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Kevin decided to leave this for another day. But he'd definitely hit on something, he mentally noted. "Okay. I think we've gone through enough for today. I want to talk more about the WSB next time."

"Oh great, Doc" Frisco said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I start feeling better and you want to go through the stuff that made me crazy in the first place."

~*~

Frisco looked around the dirty street and glanced at his watch again. He'd been impatiently pacing this alleyway for nearly twenty minutes. Waiting was not his strong suit. He hated meeting out in the open like this, he preferred the security of the base, but today that wasn't possible.

He heard footsteps and put his hand on his gun, ready to draw should danger be walking around that corner. Ric Lansing rushed around the corner. Frisco was half tempting to shoot him anyway.

"I apologize for being late, Agent Jones," he said, slightly out of breath.

Frisco crossed his arms and frowned. "You better have a good reason, Lansing."

"Corinthos was handing out orders. I couldn't just leave without him questioning where I was going."

"What orders?"

"He wants me to take care of one of his enemies," the younger agent reported.

"That's a pretty big job," Frisco replied, unconvinced. "For a lawyer."

Ric smirked. "Guess he's starting to trust me."

Trust him, yeah right. "What's the status on this case?"

"I think it's moving along now. With all the trouble he's been having with Jason, he has been trusting me more with his business. And Carly has me running her club..."

"I don't give a fuck about her club," Frisco growled, "unless Sonny's doing business there." 

"You suggested I use Carly..." Ric answered in confusion.

The boss cut him off. "I meant setting up some situation where you have to save her, get Sonny to owe you for her. Not kissing the bitch's ass."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"We'll see," Frisco answered, making his disapproval clear. "What was the problem between Sonny and Jason?"

"He didn't like Jason seeing Courtney, so Jason quit."

The older agent scrunched up his face in disbelief. "He let his enforcer get away over some blonde nitwit?"

"She's his sister," Ric replied, shrugging.

"I know who she is," Frisco snapped. "Gotten anything from the bugs yet?"

Ric looked away nervously. "I haven't, uh, been able to get into the penthouse alone long enough to get them planted."

"How long have you been on this case, Lansing?" Frisco asked calmly, glaring at his agent.

Ric took a deep breath, having the distinct feeling he was in trouble. "Seven months," he answered quietly.

"In seven months you haven't been able to plant a few bugs?"

"Like I said, I haven't been able to get alone in the penthouse," he explained. "Sonny doesn't allow anyone to stay alone, except for Jason."

Frisco raised a skeptical eyebrow, tiring of Ric's excuses. "So break in."

"Sonny has excellent security. The penthouse is locked down almost as tight as the base."

"There's a reason for that. The penthouse used to be Donely's. It has all the WSB goodies," he told the younger agent. "But his security has more holes than swiss cheese. I broke in without a problem."

"I didn't know that," Ric said softly.

"If the bugs are not operational in two days, I will do it myself," Frisco warned.

Lansing nodded and left around the corner, greeting someone happily just before he got out of earshot. A familiar female voice teased the agent. Frisco walked to the end of the building and looked to see who it was. He recognized her immediately. 

"Elizabeth?" he whispered, staring at the couple walk down the street, Ric's arm around Liz's waist. Jeff was going to be so pissed when he found out. Frisco banged his head against the brick building in frustration. "I am so dead," he groaned.


	31. Chapter 31

Author's notes: Lyrics are "She Hates Me" by Puddle Of Mudd.   
  


_That's my story, as you see  
Learned my lesson and so did she  
Now it's over and I'm glad  
'Cause I'm a fool for all I've said _

Frisco quickly finished off the bottle of whiskey and threw the empty bottle in a trash can as he neared the Brownstone. He loved his former sister-in-law, but sometimes Bobbie's hospitality grated on his nerves. The second she heard Sean and Tiffany were in town, she thought it would be a wonderful idea to have a dinner party for her family and her visiting friends. And by family, she always meant not only the Spencers, but Tony, Felicia, the girls and Mac. Of course Bobbie wouldn't forget her daughter and son-in-law. Ignoring the fact that Sonny was a mobster and she had invited the police commissioner, the local region chief and the director of the WSB. Only Bobbie, he thought, shaking his head.

He stared at the door momentarily. If he stood there much longer, he'd lose the guts to go in. Fuck it. He entered the Brownstone and walked into the front room of Bobbie's apartment. The room was empty, except for Sonny, who was inattentively flipping through a magazine. 

Sonny looked up to see who had walked into the room. "Jones," he said frostily, seeing the agent in the doorway.

"Corinthos."

The mob boss stared at Frisco thoughtfully for a moment. "What you told me that day you came to my penthouse, were you really serious? Or were you just trying to manipulate me?"

"I meant what I said."

"This isn't some ploy to collect evidence against me?"

Frisco let out a sarcastic laugh. Like he'd actually tell the guy he was being investigated. "If and when I go after you, Corinthos, I won't need a ploy to do it."

Sonny pulled out an envelope and tossed it to the agent. "The information you requested."

Frisco picked up the envelope and looked through the papers inside. "What's the story?"

"I thought you weren't going to ask how I got it," the mob boss reminded him.

"I'm not interested in what your people were doing exactly, I want to know how they got the information," the agent said, still looking through the information.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"Difference is in the details. I want the details relating to the information, not your business. I need to know more about what was going on."

"What difference does it make?"

"It makes a lot of difference," Frisco snapped, tiring of Sonny's questions. "Look, I'm one of a handful of people in the world that can be called an expert on this particular group and I've been busting terrorists for a very long time. I am very good at what I do. Why don't you let me decide what I need to know."

Sonny glared at the other man, as if he was studying the agent. "Well, I didn't ask," he answered distrustfully.

"So go back and ask," Frisco ordered, meeting the mob boss's glare.

"How do I get in touch with you?"

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Port Charles is not that big. If you can't figure it out, I'm not helping you. It's not like I'm hard to find."

A cheerful blonde came bounding out of the kitchen carrying a plate of food. Serena Baldwin was Maxie's best friend and Lucas's girlfriend, much to Frisco's amusement. "Hi, Mr. Jones!" she said when she saw him.

"Hey Serena," he answered, smiling at the girl. "Where is everybody?"

"In the kitchen mostly. Me, Maxie and Lucas are in the backyard watching the kiddies."

"Don't let Georgie hear you say that," he joked.

"I'm not afraid of Georgie. Lulu's the one you gotta watch out for," she warned lightly, grinning.

Frisco chuckled. "She takes after her father in other words."

"Pretty much."

Frisco followed the teen into the kitchen where he found Mac, Luke, Sean, Tiffany, Tony and Felicia standing around the small room, laughing. Through the window he could see Georgie and Lulu clearly driving Maxie nuts and Lucas talking to Carly as she pushed her son on the swing with Anna Donely.

"Talking about me again?" he joked.

Tony walked up to his little brother and looked him in the eyes. "Drunk yet?" he whispered knowingly, but not quiet enough that Tiffany didn't hear him.

"Hey, honey," the blonde said, hugging Frisco tightly and throwing Tony a scolding look. "How you doin'?"

"I'm alright, Tiff," Frisco answered, kissing his friend on the cheek. "It's good to see you again."

"You thought I wouldn't come after everything that's happened?" she asked in mock disbelief, putting her hands on her hips.

"Took you long enough!" he said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Oh you!" she said amusedly, swatting him on the chest.

Felicia caught his eye. "Princess," he said. She was avoiding eye contact with him, almost looking guilty. "So how was your date with Ashton?" he asked quietly. 

The whole room was silent, everyone glancing between the two. "It was good. How's Alexis?"

"Good."

"Where'd you go after you left the restaurant?" she asked, trying to be nonchalant about it.

Frisco smirked, but his heart jumped. She was jealous. "Wouldn't you like to know."

She glared at him, still trying to be casual. "Yes, I would."

He wasn't buying it. She was jealous, that was why she wanted to know. "We went back to my place." Well, it wasn't a lie, just misrepresentation. They had gone back to his place. To play pool. But that wouldn't be what would go through Felicia's mind and he knew it.

"So soon?" she asked moodily.

Maybe Skye was right about Felicia getting jealous enough to fight. He would definitely have to share this with her. "Your point?" he countered.

Before Felicia could respond, Bobbie interrupted them. "Felicia, Tiffany, could you help me take all this food into the other room?"

"Sure," Felicia answered, her eyes never leaving Frisco's.

As soon as they were gone, Luke couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer. "You hooked up with Natasha?" he asked, clapping, clearly impressed. "Way to go, secret agent man!"

"Shut up, Luke," the younger man said, rolling his eyes. "I did not hook up with her."

"You just said you went back to your place. What else would you go there for?"

"I bought a pool table. We played pool."

"A woman like Alexis Davis does not play pool."

"She does and she's good. She kicked my ass."

"Wow, I really missed that boat!" Frisco glared at him. "But you can't tell me that was the only reason you went back there. If all you wanted was to play pool, you could've gone to Jake's."

"No, my overbearing boss and my overprotective brother would've hounded me for hanging out at a bar," he said, glancing at Sean and Tony.

"With good reason," the older agent said firmly.

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Luke backed Frisco up against the counter. "Let me get this straight. You had hot little Natasha at your place, alone, and all you did was play pool?"

"So?"

"That's not what you let Felicia think," Tony pointed out.

"To hell with Felicia. I'm not responsible for her jumping to conclusions," Frisco said bitterly, earning him an angry frown from Mac.

Tony wasn't any happier with his brother. "No, you just gave her the ammunition to make that assumption."

"What I do is none of her business! You didn't see me asking her for details!"

"You're playing a dangerous game, Frisco."

"I thrive on danger, remember?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes again.

Tony crossed his arms. "What would you rather deal with, an army of heavily armed terrorists or an angry Felicia?" he asked, raising a knowing eyebrow.

"Oh shut up, Tony," the younger brother grumbled. "By the way, I've got information for you, Sean." He gestured for Luke and Tony to leave. Mac moved closer to the agent, but Frisco made no indication that he needed to go as well.

"What information?" 

Frisco handed him the paper. "From Corinthos."

"What do you think?" Sean asked as he looked at the paper.

"They're definitely stockpiling something, but their supplier's operating under our radar. There's been no reports of unusual smuggling, but I asked Corinthos to get me the rest of the story."

"He was cooperative?" Mac asked, surprised given the mobsters distrust of law enforcement.

"Sort of. He doesn't trust me. He still thinks we're going to use this against him. That scene at the PCPD might've helped some, though."

"How so?"

"The timing of your comment about Alcazar pissing off the WSB," Frisco answered with a grin. He looked back to his boss. "Washington have any idea where the funding's coming from? Who they could be working with?" The Washington D.C. office was where the WSB's counter-terrorism taskforce was headquartered, based on its nearness to the FBI, CIA and the Pentagon, all organizations the taskforce had to work with.

"Not yet. We're still tracing the cash flows, but whoever it is has covered their tracks well. It could take us years to wade through it all. I'll have Berkley send up the latest intelligence out of Iraq for you." Feeling like he'd overstepped his bounds from Frisco's frosty glare, Sean backed off. "This is your region and your area of expertise. I'll let you handle it whatever way you want."

"Oooh, you trust me to make decisions like that?" Frisco asked sarcastically.

"I haven't interfered any more than I would have for any of the other region chiefs, so quit your bellyaching."

"You bozos done with business? I want to go back to Natasha!" Luke said coming back in the room with a laughing Tony.

"I told you everything, Luke!" Frisco scoffed.

"I still don't buy it!"

"I don't care!"

"Aw, come on! Just the dirty details!" the older man begged, while the other men just looked on in amusement.

"There are no dirty details, dumbass!"

The back door swung open and a dirty redheaded little boy ran through the room chasing the precocious little brunette, followed by Carly, Lucas, Serena and Maxie. Although Lucas and Carly greeted Frisco, Maxie barely acknowledged him, but gave her stepfather a hug. 

Georgie, on the other hand, was thrilled to see him. "Daddy!" she exclaimed as she bounded through the door, Lesley Lu Spencer in tow.

Frisco recognized Lulu immediately. She looked so much like Laura, but her eyes had the same mischievous spark as her father's. "Tell us a story, Agent Jones!" the blonde demanded excitedly. Obviously, the girl didn't get her personality from Laura.

"No stories, girls," he responded tiredly.

"Aw, come on, Dad!" Georgie shared a quick glance with her friend. "Tell us about the smugglers at the pyramids!"

"Yeah, tell us that one!" Lulu urged.

"Oh god, there's two of them…" Frisco groaned softly, looking to Luke for support. The way the older man was grinning, he knew he was on his own. Bastard. "Not right now, girls."

"Please?" they begged in union, both pouting.

"I think it's time to eat," Tony said, helping his little brother out.

"Okay," they said and each grabbed one of Frisco's hands and pulled him into the other room. "Smugglers! Smugglers! Smugglers!" they begged along the way.

"Get a grip, Georgie!" Maxie berated her little sister.

"Maxie, don't talk to your sister like that," Frisco scolded. The teen looked at her mother and stepfather, but neither said anything in her support. She sat down in a huff, shooting her father a dirty look.

"Hey Frisco!" Liz greeted him, distracting him from his moody daughter. She and Lucky had arrived while he was in the kitchen, as well as two others that Frisco didn't recognize.

"Hi Elizabeth, Lucky," he replied, smiling at the two.

"Have you met Nikolas yet?" Bobbie asked, the ever-gracious hostess.

"No, I haven't." He extended his hand, the one that wasn't still attached to his youngest daughter. "Frisco Jones."

"Nikolas Cassadine," The young man told him, shaking his hand. "This is my fiancé, Gia Campbell."

"Nice to meet you both."

"What's this about smugglers?" Nik asked, glancing at his little sister. "Luke already getting you in trouble?"

Frisco glanced back amusedly at Luke, who obviously didn't appreciate the comment, as Gia elbowed Nik. Bobbie was quick to jump in before her brother had a chance to. "Frisco is a WSB agent. The girls were trying to get him to tell them some of his stories." Nik nodded understandingly. 

"I've met your uncle on a few occasions," Frisco said, somewhat hesitantly. Nik looked puzzled. "Your grandmother," Frisco clarified. No other answer was needed. Helena Cassadine had long been at odds with the WSB and Stefan had had to put out many fires over the years in his effort to keep the family legitimate. "How is Stefan?"

"Why don't you just ask Alexis," Felicia snapped. "Or were you too busy?" Everyone looked at her, even Luke appeared to be surprised by her remark. If anyone was going to be snippy around Nikolas, Felicia wasn't the first to come to mind.

"I, um, know your aunt, too," Frisco said hesitantly. Felicia snorted indignantly and stomped back into the kitchen.

"Now I know where Maxie gets it," he mumbled, following his ex-wife. "What the hell is your damage?" he asked the second they were alone.

"My damage? I was simply pointing out the facts!"

"Facts my ass! What business is it of yours if I date someone else? You ended it, sweetheart!"

"You were rather quick to move on to someone else!"

"Me? You were out with fucking Ned Ashton!" He barely had time to move before a glass whizzed by his ear and smashed against the wall behind him. "What the hell was that for?"

Felicia didn't answer. She calmly walked through the door, slamming it into the face of Luke Spencer. Accidentally, of course.

Ignoring Luke's protests from the other side of the door, Frisco pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number, but only got voice mail.

"Skye, this is Frisco. Your little plan… I'm game now. She might actually go for it."

He ended the call, never noticing that Luke had entered the room. 

"What kind of game are you playing, amigo?"

Frisco spun around sharply, startled by the sound of the older man's voice. "What are you talking about?"

"I came in to get ice after Felicia bopped me with the door and I couldn't help but hear your message. Now, my question to you is," he said crossing his arms, "who are you and Ms. Quartermaine playing, Felicia or Alexis?"

"Stay out of it, Spencer," Frisco growled.

"I will not stay out of it. I consider those two pretty little fillies my friends and I protect my friends."

"I'm not playing any game Felicia hasn't already started, Luke. Alexis is a big girl, she can take care of herself. And Skye's motives are purely friendly."

"Oh, I'm sure," Luke replied sarcastically. "If you hurt either of them, I will make you pay."

They both walked back into the other room where everyone was either at the dining room table or at the card tables that had been set up and put together. The grownups at one table, the younger set at the other. Luke took his seat next to his sister with the grownups. As if Luke could actually be called a grownup.

"Saved you a seat, Frisco," Liz said, waving him over to the open seat between her and Maxie with the youngsters. 

Lulu elbowed her older brother, looking expectantly at him. "Now what was this about smugglers?" Nik asked with some amusement.

Frisco smirked at the young Greek. "They got to you too?"

"They?"

"Frick and Frack over there," Frisco answered, gesturing to the two young girls who were whispering conspiratorially.

Everyone at the table laughed. "Georgie was trying to tell us the story," Liz told him.

"But she's mixing up the details," Maxie finished in an annoyed tone, glaring at her little sister.

"Okay," he relented. "But it wasn't at the pyramids. It was in Abydos…"

~*~

"So, what's up with you and Lucky?" Frisco asked Liz, handing her a soda. "I was surprised to see you here with him."

"Bobbie invited me. I was just getting off work and Lucky's living at Kelly's, so we came together. That's all," she answered, shrugging.

"Ah, thought maybe you two had gotten back together or something."

"No, but we're still friends." She frowned bewilderedly. "Sort of."

"The awkward friends thing. I used to be an expert at that."

She smiled. "I'm seeing someone new now. He's a lawyer."

"No more Jason Morgan?" he whispered, glancing back towards Sonny.

"No, I am so over him."  
  
"So, who the new guy?" he asked, knowing what the answer was going to be.

"His name's Ric Lansing."

"Corinthos' lawyer?" he asked, trying to sound surprised. "Don't you think it would be a good idea to get away from the mob?"

"Ric is a good person," she insisted.

He sighed. He really didn't want to have this conversation with her again. "Mob is mob. They all have their hands dirty. You're putting yourself in danger, Elizabeth."

"Who are you, my father?"

The image of Jeff as soon as he found out who his little girl was dating popped in his mind. "No, he'd be screaming his head off right now."

They were interrupted by the ringing of Frisco's cell phone. "Jones," he answered and smiled. "Hey Anna! How's..." He stopped listening to what his old friend had to say, and frowned. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up and put away his phone. "Sean, we gotta go to work."

"Huh-uh. I don't think so," Tiffany said, shaking her head. "Anna and I just got here. You can't steal my husband yet, Andrew."

"Can't you handle it on your own, Frisco?" Sean asked tiredly.

"Well, yeah, but you said you wanted to come along next time. Our missing, uh," he struggled to come up with the right word that wouldn't disgust the civilians, "items turned up in Pine Valley. Scene's secured, but Anna wants us to see it before forensics goes in."

"Honey, I really need to go with him," Sean said softly to his wife. "I'll call as soon as I know what's going on."

"Oh, alright," the blonde sighed. "But don't forget the doodlebug's bedtime." She pointed at Frisco. "You either."

"Yes, ma'am!" the younger man answered, saluting her. 

"Mind if I tag along?" Mac asked.

"Sure. Why don't you ride with Sean? I have to make a couple stops."

"Okay. We'll see you at the airport," the commissioner said. 

Frisco kissed his daughters and Anna Donley goodbye and headed out the door, Sean and Mac close behind.


	32. Chapter 32

Author's notes: Lyrics are "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. Yes, the lovely Ms. Devane is back... :D I don't follow AMC, so I'll probably screw up a lot of details for Pine Valley, David/Anna, etc. in the next few chapters. Just work with me here! Lol! Another ugly crime scene, so be warned it gets kind of graphic in parts. This is definitely not a happy chapter.   
  


_And this is why my eyes are closed  
It's just as well for all I've seen  
And so it goes, and so it goes  
And you're the only one who knows_  


The flight to Pine Valley was short and all three men remained mostly silent, none sure of what they were going to find. Frisco had relayed what Anna told him over the phone. She had been short on details, but what she had told him, no doubt the scene would be as bad as the others. Mac and Sean would be flying back later in the night, but Frisco was staying to take care of things in Pine Valley and it already looked as if he'd have a grueling few days ahead of him.

Anna met them at the airport, giving each man a hug. This was the first time Frisco had seen her since the tanker explosion ten years ago. Although she looked happy, stress was already showing on in her soft features, he noticed as they loaded her car with the equipment he brought with him. This wasn't how he wanted, but he was looking forward to seeing one of his closest friends again.

She drove them to a field on the outskirts of the small town of Pine Valley. "This is Wildwind," she told them. "My in-laws' estate." They got out of the car, where the PVPD was cooling their heels, police tape surrounding a large part of the clearing. Flood lights had been set up so the forensics team could work in the darkness. "We're near the edge of the estate. The property line is just within the trees," she said, pointing to the trees on the edge of the clearing.

A tall, blond man approached Anna. "What's going on? Why isn't anyone working?" he demanded.

"This isn't our case," she calmly answered, with just a hint of a smirk. "The WSB will be taking over. They need to see the scene as is first." The man frowned, but did not protest. "Jack, this is Mac Scorpio," she said, gesturing to her former brother-in-law, "the police commissioner in Port Charles." She gestured to Frisco next. "Frisco Jones, regional chief for the WSB, and Sean Donley, the director." The man shook hands with each of them. "This is Jackson Montgomery, the District Attorney."

"Derek?" Anna called to one of the detectives. "Has all the evidence been marked?"

"Yes!" the detective answered from his place standing around with some other officers.

"Derek Frye, our lead detective," she told them. "Let me show you what we found," she said, leading the three to the scene. "The body parts have been spread out across this space." She walked to a space and kneeled. "This is where the badges were found." She picked up the evidence bags that had been left there. "Agents Schumacher and Waters."

"Vics 4 and 5," Frisco answered. He'd gotten identifications from the prints shortly after the murders, but both agents had been listed as missing for months. He glanced around the taped off area. The grass was short, so most of the missing body parts were clearly visible. At first glance, there were more parts than there should be for two bodies, which meant a sixth victim.

Just as at the last scene, memories from another time quickly flashed in his mind. Instead of the green grass, he saw a barren desert. He closed his eyes, the stench of rotting flesh overcoming him. The smell was only in his mind, but it made him nauseous all the same. He walked along the edge of the clearing by the woods, trying to control the emotions boiling up again. 

"Breathe, Andrew, breathe," he mumbled to himself, trying to remember the breathing stuff that Kevin had told him to do.

He kept his eyes to the ground, making sure he wasn't stepping on any evidence. He glanced away for a moment to see where Mac and Sean were. They were examining evidence on the other side, absorbed in their own work. He knew Anna was still somewhere behind him. Looking back at the ground, he nearly tripped over one of the severed heads.

Faces of the dead prisoners filled his mind. The other spies, POWs, and Saddam's political enemies that had had the same misfortune as him to be captured by the Iraqis. Left for dead in the desert. Buzzard food. The damn birds and animals had spread whatever parts they got out of the bodies, not to mention prisoners that had been slaughtered out there, all along the desert as they ate. Another form of torture for those that survived, watching the dead being eaten and knowing they could be next. 

The breathing wasn't working. In his mind, he still saw the bodies as he tripped and fell across the desert, trying to get back to the prison. He had to get away, he had to make it stop.

Frisco wandered into the trees, trying to get deep enough that he wouldn't be seen. The memories were still flashing in his mind. If he could just be alone for a little while, he might be able to get a hold of himself. He collapsed against a tree, trying the control the panic that was quickly rising up in him.

A breeze shuffled the leaves, blowing branches and everything else. The creaking of a swinging branch caught his attention through the fog clouding his mind. He looked up. Not 50 feet away was the swinging body of Montoya, a well known DVX operative. 

Frisco fell to his knees. He couldn't stop the memories from taking over his mind. Hanging by his wrists, barely conscious in the vicious heat of the Iraqi desert, watching his fellow prisoners die, the beatings, the dismembered bodies, working his bloody and broken wrists loose to crawl back to the prison for more torture, just praying the WSB would find him, promising himself he would go home this time. Felicia and the girls needed him, he needed them, he just had to hang on a little longer…

~*~

Anna was trailing Frisco. She saw him run off into the woods, but she didn't know if he'd found something or if something was wrong. Everyone had told her that Frisco had been a little off since he'd gone back to Port Charles, but no one had really told her why. Tiffany had said something about him having a hard time the last few years. "It's just been thing after another," she had said, but never elaborated on any of it. The only thing Anna knew for sure, the man walking around the crime scene was not the Frisco Jones she had known.

She followed him into the woods, calling his name. She saw him ahead of her, laying against a tree. As she got closer, she could see something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Frisco?" she asked, kneeling next to him. His breathing was shallow and he was trembling, mumbling in a language she didn't understand. If she had to guess, it sounded like Arabic.

He was having a flashback. She'd seen it before, agents that had just seen too much. She cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. "Frisco?" He didn't respond. She slapped him hard, trying to shock him out of it. He jumped slightly and blinked a few times, before finally focusing on her. "Welcome back, luv," she said, smiling.

"Oh god," he breathed, closing his eyes and resting his head against the tree.

"Are you alright now?" she asked concernedly, brushing hair away from his forehead. "Do you want to leave?"

"No, I'm okay. I think," he answered, his breathing returning to normal as he sat up. He looked just beyond her to Montoya. The memories came rushing back at him. He closed his eyes again, trying to block out the images.

Her hand immediately returned to his face. "What's wrong? Talk to me, Frisco." He just pointed to the body hanging from the tree. She turned around and saw the body. "Oh dear god," she whispered. "Montoya."

Frisco stood up, using the tree to push himself up, avoiding focusing on anything but Anna.

"I'm going to get Sean," Anna told him and walked hurriedly back out towards the clearing.

He sighed, turning away from the body, as Anna yelled to the others. He tried to pull himself together, brushing off his clothes, and hoped he didn't look as panicked as he felt. The last thing he needed was Sean to know he'd had another flashback. His boss had already threatened to fire him and it was not an empty threat.

Anna came back to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay? I can take you back to the Valley Inn..."

"I'm okay," he answered, interrupting her. He hesitated, looking uncertainly at his old friend. "Can we keep this between us? I don't want Sean knowing I had a flashback at a crime scene."

She dropped her hand apprehensively. "Alright," she agreed, glancing back towards her friend and former boss approaching them. "Can we talk later, after Sean and Mac leave?" Frisco just nodded.

"What's up?" Mac asked, walking up to them with Sean, Derek and Jack.

"Vic 7," Frisco answered, nodding in the direction of the body.

The newcomers moved to where they could see the tortured body hanging by the wrists. 

"Are you sure these cases are connected?" Jack asked, turning away, looking very nauseous.

"Enrique Montoya, DVX operative, recruited out of Escobar's cartel."

"What does this have to with... over there?" the DA argued, pointing to the field of body parts.

"This is the third scene. The organs are from the last scene, as well as the badges. The badges left the rest of the bodies were from the first, which also involved a DVX operative."

"I'm guessing the other scenes were this bad?" Derek asked the agent.

"No." Seeing the detective's disbelieving stare, he added, "The others were worse. At least there's no blood this time."

Mac shuddered slightly, remembering the gruesomeness of the last scene.

"Do you have a suspect yet?" Anna asked, chewing on her thumb anxiously.

"Not a clue," Frisco answered frustratedly. "But I think this safely rules out the DVX. They wouldn't off their best assassin."

"Anna," Sean finally said, "let's get forensics in here and get this cleaned up. Make sure they document everything thoroughly."

"I know what needs to be done. I was police chief before you were," Anna answered petulantly and walked back to the clearing, barking orders at her officers. Frisco followed her silently, deciding there had to be some kind of paperwork that needed to be done back at the car.

~*~

Frisco retired quietly to his room at the Valley Inn, next door to Anna. It had been very early in the morning by the time they finished up at the scene and got Mac and Sean on their way back to Port Charles. The forensics team was still working the scene and probably would be for hours longer.

Anna still wanted to talk to him, but neither was in the mood at the moment. They both just wanted to crash and get some sleep.

Sleep. It was practically an unknown concept to him. He was exhausted and probably could get a couple hours in before the nightmares came again. He didn't have time to take his pills. They were going back to the scene first thing in the morning. 

He dropped his bags on the floor and laid down on the bed, not bothering to even undress. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but the memories were still there.

Even in sleep he couldn't escape that prison.

  



	33. Chapter 33

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence. Same warning as the last chapter for repeated information. Iawen Londea- thanks! 

  


_How can you see into my eyes like open doors.  
Leading you down into my core  
Where I've become so numb.  
Without a soul  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it back home._

Anna sipped her coffee quietly at a table in the Valley Inn's dining room, wondering how much longer Frisco would be. When she knocked on his door earlier, he was still in his clothes from the night before and he looked as though he'd just woken up, but hadn't slept all at the same time. Give me a couple minutes, he'd said. Well, his few minutes were long over. 

She was being impatient, she knew, but she needed to talk to him. She wanted to know what was going on with him. A flashback at a crime scene was not a good sign, even one as gruesome as yesterday.

"Good morning," Frisco said, sitting down next to Anna, his exhaustion evident.

She smiled at him. "Good morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Alright," he answered slowly.

"Sounded like you had a nightmare," she said almost accusingly, searching his eyes for the answer.

"Yeah." He sighed, knowing he was caught. As if he'd ever been able to hide anything from his former mentor. She knew him too well. "I, uh, have PTSD."

"I figured as much yesterday. Glad you didn't try to hide it from me."

He smirked. "Didn't think I'd get away with it."

"Damn right." A waitress came over and poured coffee into Frisco's cup. "How long have you had it?" Anna asked quietly, as the young woman retreated.

"My brother thinks I came back from Bulgaria with it," Frisco answered with a sigh. "Can't really argue with him."

"I'd agree with that. You were so angry back then," she said after some thought. She paused, hesitant to ask, but she had to know. "The flashback last night, what happened?"

"When I was in prison in Iraq, they took us to this spot maybe a half mile from the prison, and chained us up by the wrists to these poles, like Montoya was. They beat us, dismembered the guys that really pissed them off while they were still alive, starved the rest of us. They left us out there to die basically." He stopped, closing his eyes as the images assaulted him again. Anna squeezed his hand, urging him to continue. "There were animals, birds, whatever crawled out of the desert. They tore apart the bodies, spread them out across the area."

She nodded understandingly, his explanation not lessening her concern for him. "Like the scene yesterday," she finished for him.

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "I had to stumble and crawl through all that to get back to the prison."

"You went back to the prison? Why?" she asked incredulously.

"I didn't know where I was and I was in no shape to go wandering aimlessly through the desert."

Guilt ate at her conscience. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

He was surprised. "Why?"

"You needed me and I wasn't there."

Frisco gave her a slight smile. "That wasn't your fault," he said reassuringly, looking back down at the table. "Even if you had been, you couldn't have helped me. Sean and Tiffany tried."

"I'm not Sean and Tiffany."

He shook his head. "I would've pushed you away, too. I pushed everyone away from a long time."

"You still are."

He looked at her, knowing she was right. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I hate when you do that," he said broodingly.

"Do what?" she asked, bewildered.

"See right through me. You know, you don't have to call me on everything."

"What can I say?" she asked, shrugging. "I know you. You don't reach out when you need to."

He didn't answer her. "So what's good here for breakfast?" 

"Don't change the subject." 

"I'm really not up to being grilled, okay?" he complained. "Can we just eat and get back to work?"

"You still want to work after that?"

"I'm fine, Anna," he insisted. "I can deal with it. I just need to get my mind on something else."

"Fine," she answered. 

They ordered breakfast and sat in silence while waiting for their food to come.

"How's Felicia?" Anna asked after a few tense minutes, breaking the silence.

"You talk to her more than I do. You tell me," he snapped bitterly.

"I thought you were living with her."

"I did for a month or so, then I was staying with Tony, but now I have my own place."

"What happened with Felicia?"

"We had a little argument."

"What kind of little argument?"

"She didn't tell you?" Anna shook her head. "I neglected to tell her something. She took it the wrong way and kicked me out. Gave me a bunch of bullshit about using each other up." Frisco ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Maybe she's right."

"So how long before you're chasing her all over town, serenading her again?" she asked, amused.

"Not this time," he said, shaking his head. "I'm done chasing her. If she wants me, she knows where to find me."

Anna was surprised. No, scratch that. She was shocked. "You're giving up? I don't believe it."

"I didn't give up, she did," he replied sullenly. "She doesn't want me anymore, Anna. She made that quite clear. Besides, she's seeing someone else."

"That never stopped you before. You blatantly broke up her and Colton, you got between her and Mac more than once. I won't even mention the thing with Luke. You're just going to take no for an answer?"

"Anna, we were together. It wasn't working. All we did was fight and have sex."

"Foreplay," she teased.

"Not like that, it wasn't." Frisco sighed, looking at the table dejectedly. "It doesn't matter now. It's over," he said softly.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you!"

"I'm not the same person you knew, Anna."

"I don't buy that for one second."

"Drop it. I don't feel like arguing with you."

"I'm not going to drop…" 

Anna was interrupted by a voice behind her. "Found someone new already, Devane?"

She didn't bother turning around. She closed her eyes, knowing exactly who the voice belonged to. She had no desire to see her soon to be ex-husband. "Get lost, David. I'm trying to have a private conversation."

David walked up to Frisco and Anna's table, hands in his pockets. "I heard you were out all night," he said, scowling.

"I was working all night," she answered defensively.

"Right," he countered dryly.

Frisco watched the man with interest. It was obvious Anna didn't want to see him. He guessed that this must be the ex-husband Felicia had mentioned. "I believe she asked you to leave," he growled, trying to be polite.

"This doesn't concern you," the other man shot back.

"Our conversation doesn't concern you and I was here first," he answered coolly.

"Anna is my concern!"

"Oh shut up, David!" Anna ordered. "I am no longer any concern of yours!"

"You're my wife! I won't let you push me away!" David said agitatedly, trying to keep his voice low.

"Bloody hell!" she shouted.

"If you haven't noticed, Anna doesn't want you here," Frisco said calmly, interrupting their little spat. He reached for his gun, drawing it enough for David to see, but was still hidden to the rest of the room. "Leave now or I'll use it."

Seeing Frisco's 9mm, David backed away. "Fine. I'll go, but this isn't over, Anna," he said and left the restaurant, taking one last glance at the two friends.

"I take it that was the ex?" Frisco asked, returning the gun to the holster in the back of his jeans.

"Yes," Anna sighed. "You should've shot him. Save me the trouble of doing it."

"What did you ever see in him?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms. "I don't know anymore."

Frisco flashed her a lopsided grin. "So I'm not the only one whose life sucks?" 

"Oh no, mine's just wonderful," she replied with a sarcastic smirk.

Breakfast arrived and they ate quietly, making only mundane conversation.

~*~

Frisco's head kept falling, instantly waking him for about a minute. He was sitting at Anna's desk typing up an update for Sean on his laptop. He needed to get this done, but he was completely exhausted and just couldn't stay awake. Night after night of nightmares was beginning to take its toll on him.

"Why don't you go back and get some sleep?"

Frisco looked up to see Anna standing over him. "I have to report back to Sean, remember?"

"He can wait a little while. You look ready to pass out," she told him, her face full of concern.

He rubbed his tired face. "I feel ready to pass out."

"What does Sean want to know?"

"Where we are in the investigation."

"Not much further than when he left," Anna snorted cynically.

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Okay, he wants a few more details than that," he said, yawning.

"Lay down and get some sleep," she ordered, guiding him out of the chair and to the sofa on the other side of her office. "I'll do the report."

"Okay, okay. I'll lay down," he said, giving up. He was too tired to fight with her. Besides, sleep sounded very good at the moment. "Wake me up if I start having a nightmare, alright?"

"It's just a nap!"

"That's a night's sleep for me," he told her as he laid down.

"Nightmares are that bad?" she asked sympathetically.

"Sometimes. But maybe I can trick my mind into letting me sleep a little while since I'm not at home."

His eyes fluttered closed, letting sleep take over.

~*~

Frisco felt hands on his body, shaking him, slapping his face, poking him with their guns. His eyes shot open. He wasn't supposed to fall asleep, he was supposed to get back to camp. Lives were depending on him. He had to make it, those bastards weren't going to get him… He reached for his gun, but a hand stopped him. He kicked his attacker, knocking him back. He sat up, prepared for another attack. They weren't taking him alive this time…

Looking around, he realized he was in Anna's office. He had been taking a nap and Anna was now kneeling next to him passively, but ready to defend herself if he attacked her again. He laid back down and closed his eyes again. He could still see the images in his mind, plain as day. The night he'd been captured and sent to that damn Bulgarian prison. He hadn't been haunted by that dream in years. God, he hoped the rest of the station hadn't heard him.

"Sorry 'bout that, Anna," he said embarrassedly, his craving for a drink becoming almost unbearable after being sober all day. He cursed himself for not grabbing something before he left.

"Don't worry about it," she said softly, smiling and brushing a lock of hair from his forehead. "You want to tell me about it?"

"Not really." She didn't reply, but he knew what she was thinking. "Bulgaria. Haven't had that particular dream in ages."

Anna patted him on the shoulder and walked back to her desk. Frisco sat back up, running his hands through his tousled hair. He watched her for a moment, not sure if he should ask. Fuck it, she wouldn't mind. "You ever have nightmares?"

"We all do," she answered, still working.

"No, I mean from your time at the WSB."

"Like I said, we all do. Every field agent, every cop has been through something that stays with them. You just ended up with more than your share."

"Yeah," he replied cynically.

She leaned back in her chair. "You know you can talk to me, Frisco. I've been out there, I'll understand." He didn't answer, only sighed, causing Anna to get up and sit next to him on the sofa. "Hey, if you can't trust me, who can you trust?"

He let her pull him close. He laid his head on her shoulder as she wrapped a reassuring arm around him. "I'm just so tired of everything."

"Maybe you need a break," she whispered. "A nice long vacation. Someplace exotic, like Rio."

He pulled away from her. "Do you know how many sleeper cells there are in Rio?"

"Spend a little quality time at the beach and you won't be thinking about terrorists."

"I don't need to go to South America to get laid," he said, sulking. "I can do that in Port Charles."

"Can you now?" she teased.

She was teasing him, he knew, but he could help feeling a little insulted. "Hell yes! I'll have you know I used to be a chick magnet."

She laughed. "You? A chick magnet? You're not that cute, luv."

"Says who? I used to have groupies following me all over when I was singing," he bragged, rolling his eyes and smiling despite himself. "Drove Tania and Felicia nuts."

"What changed?"

Frisco shrugged, his smile fading. "Spent years in places where women don't talk to men, pining over a woman that didn't want me."

"She wants you," Anna said, trying to reassure him.

"It's over, Anna," he told her again, shaking his head. Felicia was one thing he really didn't feel like discussing for the millionth time. Talking wasn't going to change anything. "At least that's one headache I don't have anymore."

Derek knocked on the door as he opened it, interrupting them. "Hey, Chief," he said, holding up a file. "Forensics is done with their reports and the preliminary autopsy is done for the body in the woods."

"Thanks, Derek," she said, standing taking the file from her detective. Derek retreated from the office, taking one last glance at the agent. Anna looked over the file.

"What's the cause of death?" Frisco asked tiredly, not sure if it was physical or emotional.

"Your two dismembered bodies in Port Charles and the third in the clearing all died of a gunshot wound to the head," she answered as she examined the file.

"That actually makes me feel better," he said. "They probably didn't suffer too much first. What about Montoya?"

"Looks like he bled out. Probably was tortured for hours."

"I figured that much last night. He looked tortured."

Anna closed the file and set it on top of the pile Frisco had brought with him. "I was looking through the files while you were sleeping. You have any suspects yet?"

He frowned. They had nothing and last night didn't help them any. "Best suspect we have is Faison and that's a big stretch."

"Why Faison?" she asked nervously.

"All the vics have connections to him and some of the DVX moles he placed in the Bureau still haven't been found, some probably high enough up now to know about the black box. Mac thinks it may be related to me, since the first murders were shortly after I was promoted, and with the exception of Montoya, the vics were all WSB agents."

"Thin, Frisco," she replied. "Very thin."

"I know, but we don't have anything else. No physical evidence, no prints except for the victims', and he's the only common link between them."

"The scenes looked bad."

"You have no idea," he said with a derisive laugh.

"Pro job?"

"Nah," he answered, shaking his head, "looks more like a serial. Two scenes were staged, they were all too messy to be executions and I can't figure out any logical reason for Faison or the DVX to off Montoya."

"He thought Montoya was a loose cannon," Anna told him.

"DVX was still using him as an assassin."

"That was what he always did best," she said, shaking her bangs out of her eyes. She smiled humorlessly. "Wanna get some dinner?"

"Are you going interrogate me some more?" he asked, dreading another couple hours of talking to her. He loved Anna dearly, but he'd forgotten how persistent she could be. When she wanted to know something, there was no way to get rid of her. And times like this, he found that persistence really annoying.

"Of course!" Frisco frowned at her, but Anna just smiled at him. "Come on, Frisco! I haven't seen you in ten years and now I have all to myself for a couple days. I'm going to take advantage of it. Who knows when I'll see you again," she said, grabbing her car keys.

Frisco followed her out of her office. "Heaven forbid you ever come back to Port Charles to visit your old friends," he said as they walked through the PVPD.

"You're one to talk, spy boy," she said, hands on her hips. "You were too busy pining over Felicia to actually go see her."

"I'm sure Mac would've appreciated me coming home to hit on his wife," he scoffed.

"She wouldn't have ever been his wife if you had stayed," she reminded him.

"We are not having this conversation," he said dully.

Anna grinned deviously. "Oh, did I hit a nerve?"

Frisco rolled his eyes and pushed her out of the station. "I'm never speaking to you again."


	34. Chapter 34

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Victim Of The Game" by Garth Brooks. This is a slower chapter, but it's setup for stuff later on. Goblz- I wondered where you went, LOL! Rach- Thank you!!! Nice to find anonther Frisco fan!  


  
  


_  
You know it's really gettin' to you  
When you take to tellin' lies  
And you can try to fool your friends  
But you can't look 'em in the eye  
There ain't no standin' tall  
In the shadow of the shame  
When everybody knows  
That you're a victim of the game.  
_

"You know, every time I come in here, I think of her," Anna said softly, after the waitress had brought them their drinks. 

Anna had taken Frisco to a restaurant called BJ's, a bar and grill sort of place, much more his style than the Valley Inn. He just sighed at the reminder of his late niece. He missed her so much. She had been the last remainder he'd had of Tania.

"Mac told me what happened," she said sympathetically. "It had to be gut wrenching for you. I know how much you and Felicia adored her."

"Yeah," he answered, not meeting his friend's gaze. "I miss her. She was so excited when I gave her that bracelet."

"What bracelet?"

"When I came back with Mac after Maxie got sick, I brought back this African bracelet for BJ." He laughed sadly. "When I saw her at the hospital, I told her I had a present for her. She practically attacked me looking through my pockets for it."

"That sounds like BJ," she said amusedly.

"Sometimes I see a little of her in Maxie," he said, lost in thought. "Then she goes back to her usual bratty self."

"Bratty? How can you say that about your own kid?"

"You never said that about Robin?" Frisco asked, smirking. Anna had said it several times when she and Robin had fought, and they both knew it. "Maxie's a teenager. Being a brat's a requirement, I think."

"Didn't sound like Robin was that bad," she replied, trying to save a little face, much to Frisco's amusement.

"She had her moments," he said, shrugging. "You missed the whole Stone thing."

"She loved him," she argued.

"Robin and Mac fought like crazy over the guy. She rebelled, she snuck out, she did exactly what Mac told her not to and refused to stop seeing Stone." He shook his head. He almost felt sorry for Mac, first having to go through all that with Robin and now with Maxie. "Robin was pretty bratty when it came to Jason Morgan, too."

"This coming from the guy that punched his brother the first time he saw him. In the emergency room no less," Anna scoffed. "The guy that threw a fit when he found out his father was invited to his brother's wedding. The guy that went ballistic when his stepmother showed up at his daughter's christening and almost lost his job investigating her."

Frisco's mouth dropped, stunned. That wasn't bratty, not after what had happened. He had a right to be angry with them. "Hey, I had a good reason to be upset!" he exclaimed defensively.

The police chief crossed her arms on the table daringly. "I'm sure Maxie and Robin would say the same thing," she said, goading him.

"It was a phase! I grew out of it!" he insisted.

"Before or after your 40th birthday?"

He mimicked her offendedly and pouted. "Funny."

Anna snickered. "Outside of your PTSD, a rebellious teenager, and Felicia, how are things really going?" 

"Let's see... Tony and I are fighting half the time, Sean's driving me absolutely bonkers, Mac hates me, and Luke's dragging me into his stupid mess with the Cassadines," he said, smilingly sarcastically. "Don't even get me started on my job."

"Don't like the WSB anymore?"

"We're shorthanded, so not only do I have my regular duties, I'm still a field agent," he complained. "I ended up activating Sam Welles for this case and the PCPD is doing half the work. The only days I have off are the days I have the girls and those days I have to make an effort not to work."

"Do you have any social life at all?" she asked amusingly.

More than he used to, Frisco realized. Skye and Luke were seeing to that and Alexis probably would as well. "I've got a couple friends I go out with sometimes and I hang out at Luke's every once in a while."

"Felicia mentioned something about a Skye? I didn't get the whole story."

He cringed. "Was she really pissed off?" he asked timidly, not really sure if he wanted to know at this point.

"Not really," she answered, shaking her head. "She sounded more hurt than anything."

Frisco frowned. He'd have to tell Anna and she'd likely give him hell for it. "Skye Chandler would be the little thing I neglected to tell her. She's my ex-wife." He used her adopted name, the one he'd known her as, knowing that living in this town, Anna would recognize it. 

She didn't answer immediately, but the scolding look she gave him was enough. "Gee, why would Felicia want to know an insignificant detail like that?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

He closed his eyes. He really wasn't in the mood for another lecture, especially from her. "Don't you get on me too," he griped wearily. "I just didn't think to tell her, okay? It's not like Skye and I were ever anything to begin with."

"You married her. That's something," she chided.

"We were in Las Vegas, completely wasted. It's lasted a whole fucking month," he told her. Although he tried to sound pissed off, his words were filled with regret. "And Felicia was engaged to Mac at the time."

"So Felicia is just upset over a mistake you made five years ago?" she asked unbelievingly.

"She saw me with Skye at Kelly's and jumped to the conclusion that something was going on."

Anna looked at him with surprise. "You still see her?"

"We didn't keep in touch, but she lives in Port Charles now. We've gotten to be friends," he said, shrugging.

"So you met someone from Port Charles in Vegas? What are the odds of that?"

"She's not from Port Charles. I can't remember where she actually grew up, but she lived here for a long time."

"Here, as in Pine Valley?" Her face fell as the realization hit her. "She wouldn't happen to be related to…"

"Adam Chandler?" Frisco answered before she could finish the question. "Yeah, he's her father. Well, adopted father. She's a Quartermaine." He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. "Get this, Adam actually paid me to leave her."

"And you did it?" she asked incredulously.

"Not exactly. We'd already decided to get divorced, then he showed up making demands," he told her. "I wasn't going to take the money, but Skye talked me into splitting the cash with her."

"Does Adam know that?"

"Not that I know of." He looked at her uneasily. "You don't happen to frequent the same places he does, do you?"

"Some," she answered vaguely, grinning and trying to stifle a laugh. "I'll try to avoid him, just for you."

"Gee, thanks." 

Anna turned halfway around, pointing to their waitress arguing with another teenager. "See that kid over there talking to the waitress?"

"Yeah."

"That's Adam Chandler Jr."

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted the conversation. "Jones," he said as he picked up the phone, still looking at Anna.

"You're at not home," the sultry voice said.

"Well, hello to you, too. You won't guess where I am."

"Felicia's?" Skye guessed.

"Try again," he said, chuckling.

"The Quartermaines?"

"Nope."

"Vegas?"

"Not even close."

"Okay, I give up," she said, sighing. "I have no clue where you're at."

"Let me put it this way," he said, grinning even though Skye couldn't see it, "your little brother needs some lessons on how to treat women. He's harassing our waitress."

"My little brother?" she asked in disbelief. "You're in Pine Valley?"

"Yep."

"Why on Earth would you want to go there?"

"Work," he said, sighing. 

"Oh, okay," she responded sharply. "What was up with the message you left me? Did you and Felicia have a fight or something?"

"Something like that." He glanced at the woman sitting across the table from him. His friend and Felicia's friend. "I'll give you a call when I get back, maybe we can get together."

"Alright. Tell my family I said hello."

"No way! I'm not going anywhere near Adam!" he said adamantly. "You're on your own. Later!" He put away the phone. "Sorry about that," he said, returning to Anna.

"No problem," Anna said, watching him in a way he recognized. She was studying him. "What did Skye want?"

"I left her a message last night," Frisco told her distantly. "She was just calling me back."

"You didn't have to hang up on my account."

"I didn't. I was going to go out with her before you called and made me go to work," he lied, feeling slightly guilty for deceiving her.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to interfere with your love life!" she said, a slight grin appearing on her lips.

"Social life, not love life," he corrected. "I have no love life."

"Oh god," she groaned, looking past Frisco.

He turned to see what he was looking at, and saw David enter. "Wonderful," he said, watching the other man walk over to them again.

"I don't believe we've been properly introduced," David said, glaring at Frisco. "I'm David Hayward, Anna's husband."

"Ex-husband," she corrected him.

"The divorce isn't final yet. We're still married," he replied. Turning back to Frisco, he asked, "And you are..."

"Someone with easy access to nuclear weapons and is willing to use them," Frisco answered. He smiled as he watched the color slowly drain from David's face.

Anna covered her eyes embarrassedly. "David, this is my old friend Frisco."

"The WSB agent, right?" David asked, glancing between Frisco and Anna.

"Actually, he's the region chief now."

"Well, congratulations," he said to the agent. "Anna, can I talk to you alone, please?"

She sighed, but reluctantly followed him. "I'll be right back," she told Frisco.

Frisco watched them walk a few feet away, then pulled out his phone. He might as well call Skye while he had the time.

"Yes?" she answered, sounding quite annoyed.

"You got a few minutes?" he asked, glancing back towards Anna.

"Depends on what you had in mind."

"I'm alone at the moment, so I can talk now."

"What happened with Felicia?"

"I found out she gets jealous easily."

"Just how did you find that out?" she asked amusedly.

"I told you about that night with Alexis, right?"

"You played pool, Frisco," she said, guessing where his question was leading. "It's not like you slept together."

"Felicia was there with Ned."

"You told me that, too."

"Bobbie invited us all over last night. Felicia got pissed off, and I mean really pissed off, because she thinks I slept with Alexis."

"What makes you think she's jealous?"

"She threw a glass at me," Frisco told her smugly.

"She threw a glass at you?" she repeated incredulously. "Why?" 

"I was talking to Nikolas Cassadine and I asked him how Stefan was, 'cause I haven't seen him in ages. Felicia got all snippy and said, 'why don't you ask Alexis or were you too busy'," he repeated sneeringly. "We went into the kitchen and got into a fight. I pointed out that she was out with Ned at the time, then she threw a glass at me."

"Wow," was all Skye could say.

"Yeah, tell me about it. After I saw her with Ned, I was expecting her to be a little jealous. I just wasn't expecting her to be so pissed off about it."

"Obviously. She always seems so laid back," she said, still surprised. "You'd think she'd never seen you with someone else before."

"Actually, she hadn't really until you."

"Well, it's about time she did, don't you think?"

"Definitely," he agreed. "Between you and Alexis, I think she'll be eating her words."

Skye laughed. "That's the spirit!"

Anna was standing over him, glowering at him. He knew he was in trouble. "Uh, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later," he said and ended the call. She sat back down in her chair, her arms crossed, waiting for him say something. But he guiltily kept his eyes on his drink, running his fingers over the rim of the glass.

"You going to tell me what that was about or do I have to guess?"

"I'm sure you've figured it out."

"Not exactly, but I assume you were talking about Felicia. I thought you said you'd given up."

"Maybe, maybe not," he answered vaguely.

"All you're going to do is piss her off," she reminded him. "The jealousy angle isn't going to work with her. You know that."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that. Not after last night." He again recounted the previous evening's argument and running into Alexis, along with Felicia and Ned.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Frisco," she told him when he'd finished his story.

"Tony said the exact same thing."

"I can't believe you're doing this." 

"What else should I do, Anna?" Frisco complained. "I meant what I said. I'm not going to chase her anymore. Try to make her jealous, sure. But I'm not going to run all over town making an ass of myself like I did before. At least this way I'm not sitting at home, waiting for her to change her mind again. I spent too many years like that."

"I'm not having anything to do with this," she told him flatly.

"Fine. I didn't ask you to."

"It's going to blow up in your face."

"What do I have to lose at this point?"

Anna just shook her head. "You're asking for trouble, Frisco."


	35. Chapter 35

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Mind Changer" by Bush. A few more Pine Valley residents are making appearances. Rena- hasn't trouble and Frisco always gone together? ;) Thanks! Goblz- everyone seems to love Frisco & Skye! I guess that means I'm doing something right, lol! Thanks for the correction, I couldn't remember where they were, so I just guessed. It's been too long since I watched that storyline! Rach- lol, I already had 34 almost done when I posted the other story. Thanks!   
  


_Help me sometimes, I need that much  
Don't you think it's strange  
How we can turn to dust  
_

Frisco wanted a drink. He and Anna had gone their separate ways after dinner, and he'd made his mandatory phone calls. He wanted a drink and there was none in the room. To hell with it, he was going downstairs.

The Valley Inn's lounge was fairly crowded, making Frisco a little uneasy. He hated crowds in most situations. He always worried about who was hiding amongst all the people, mostly because it was something he'd used so many times out in the field. He knew what could be hiding in the shadows. He'd learned the hard way that ignorance really was bliss.

He quietly took a seat at the bar and ordered Jack Daniels. He glanced around the room, studying the faces. But the voice from beside him caught him completely off guard.

"You have some nerve showing your face here."

With a slight roll of his eyes, Frisco turned to see his former father-in-law standing next to him. "Good to see you, too, Adam," he said coolly.

"You just thought you could come here like nothing happened after what you did to Skye?"

"What _I_ did to Skye?" he asked, offended. "Last I checked, I'm not Jasper Jacks. So go chew him out."

"You took advantage of my daughter! She was vulnerable and alone and you took advantage of that. You were just after her money."

"Her money? A lot of good that money was going to do me when I was working up in the mountains of Iraq." He looked the older man in the eyes. "Besides, my trust fund is bigger."

"Yeah right," Adam scoffed.

"Adam, you know nothing about me or my family. Just admit it," Frisco said, turning away from the older man and sipped his drink.

"I know what I need to know."

"And what exactly do you think you know?"

Adam didn't answer the question. "I want you to leave Pine Valley," he demanded.

"Gladly," Frisco replied. "When my work here is done."

"At least Skye's not here for you to bother."

"Whatever," he said, rolling her eyes. "She says hello, by the way."

Adam grabbed the younger man by the shirt. "What did you mean by that?"

Frisco easily pushed the older man's hands away. "I talked to her a couple hours ago. She told me to tell her family here that she said hello."

Adam looked stunned. "You talked to Skye? I thought..."

"You got rid of me?" Frisco finished, giving his former father-in-law a satisfied smirk. "_You_ didn't get rid of me. We'd already decided to get divorced when you showed up. It was Skye's idea to take the money and split it. It's not like I needed it or wanted it." 

"So you just decided to track her down after all this time?"

"Life is full of strange coincidences, Adam," he chuckled. "Port Charles is my home. My family is there. My brother is a doctor at GH. My girls' stepfather is the police commissioner. The Quartermaines are family friends, I've known them for years. Anna Devane had her last wedding in Lila's rose garden and my ex-wife was one of her bridesmaids."

"You know Anna?"

"She's one of my best and oldest friends. She was the first police chief I served under, a bridesmaid at my wedding, godmother to my oldest daughter. Now if you don't mind, Adam, I'd like to drink myself into a drunken stupor alone, please."

"Well, Adam, who do we have here?" a feminine voice asked from behind them.

Frisco turned his head around to see who the voice belonged to. Petite, dark hair, older, but still a very attractive woman. She looked familiar to him, but he couldn't place the face. The memory was sort of fuzzy.

"It's been a long time, Frisco," she said. "Although I must say, I wasn't expecting to ever see you again. Certainly not in Pine Valley, anyway."

His eyes widened as the memory suddenly became much clearer. She was one of his many disastrous one night stands that he immediately regretted the next morning. The night he'd been stuck going out with Rita and had been looking for any excuse to ditch her. Oh god, he had to quit drinking. He couldn't even remember the woman's name, for pete's sake.

"Um, uh, yeah," he stammered.

"You know this cretin, Erica?" Adam asked.

"Yes, we met in New York City a few years ago," she answered as she slipped into the chair next to Frisco. 

A pretty blond walked up to Adam, interrupting them. "Okay, Adam. I'm here," she said hostilely. "Hello," she said, smiling at Frisco. "Erica."

"Liza," Erica answered, matching the blonde's unfriendly tone. She looked at Adam. "So how do you know Frisco, Adam?"

"He's Skye's no good ex-husband," Adam grumbled.

"You'll have to be more specific, darling. She has so many of those," Erica said, smiling sweetly.

Frisco about choked on his drink. It was cruel, but sadly the truth. "I think he's confusing me with one of her other ex-husbands. I'm the one she still likes."

"So that would make you Vegas husband number one," Liza said. "The ex-rock star."

Frisco smiled brightly. "That would be me."

"Well, tell Skye I said hello." She tugged on Adam's arm. "Adam, let's go."

Adam mumbled something under his breath, glaring one last time at Frisco before following the blonde to a table.

"So what brings you to Pine Valley, Frisco?" Erica asked, drawing his attention back to her. "If you don't mind me asking." 

"Business," he answered tersely.

"What is it you do again?"

"I work for the World Security Bureau."

"Oh yes, you're a secret agent! You must know our Chief of Police, Anna Devane?" Erica lightly slapped his arm. "Oh, of course you do! You've probably had to meet with her since you've been here."

"Well, yes," he said, "but Anna's a good friend of mine."

"Have you worked with her before?" she asked curiously, looking seductively his way. He could've sworn she was flirting with him.

"She and her late husband are the reason I got into the WSB in the first place," he told her quietly, focusing restlessly on the glass. Erica's attentions were making him slightly uncomfortable. 

"You're here for the dismembered bodies that were found at Wildwind, aren't you?" 

He was stunned. The case was classified, meaning no one outside of the WSB and the two police departments were supposed to know details. Media had been kept away from the scenes just for that purpose. "Um..." he trailed off, not sure of what to tell her. He couldn't very well deny it now, but he couldn't tell her anything either.

"Oh, don't worry. I know it's not public knowledge. Jack mentioned something about Anna bringing in some of her WSB friends. He and I are very close."

"Jack..." he said in confusion, then it occurred to him who she meant. "Oh, the district attorney." He made a mental note to ream Montgomery a new one in the morning for leaking information.

"Do you know who could do such an awful thing?" she asked innocently. She touched his shoulder, leaving him no doubt. She was definitely coming on to him.

"I can't..." he started.

"You could tell me, but you'd have to kill me," she said humorously. "I remember."

He chuckled. God, how many times had he used that line? "Something like that."

She leaned closer to him. "Can I interest you in a nightcap?" she asked softly, close to his ear.

He glanced at his watch. "Thanks for the offer, but no. I have to, um, make some phone calls. I'll, uh, see you around, Erica." He left the bar, and headed up to his room. 

~*~

As Frisco reached his room, he briefly wondered if Anna would be interested in a drink. His hands hesitated on the doorknob. He really didn't want to go back downstairs and face Erica. Maybe Anna would have something in her room. Or there might still be an open liquor store somewhere, he thought, glancing at his watch. No, he'd ask Anna first. She might be as lonely as he was.

He walked to her door and knocked. She didn't answer, but he could hear her crying through the door. He knocked again. "Anna?"

The doorknob turned and the door opened slightly. He walked in and Anna had her back to him, obviously trying to pull herself together. That was one thing they had in common, neither liked their emotions to be on display for anyone, even those they were closest to. 

"Anna?" he asked again, his voice full of concern. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," she said, sniffling.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance. Like he'd ever actually let her get away with that. "Sounds like it. I know I always cry when I'm fine," he replied sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, Frisco!" she yelled. "I'm not in the mood for your mouth right now!"

"Then tell me what's wrong!" he shot back.

"I don't know!" she admitted, sobbing again.

Frisco wrapped his arms around his friend from behind, letting her breakdown against him. "Shhh. It's going to be okay," he cooed. He turned her around and held her as she cried.

"I don't know what happened, Frisco. I just saw this picture of Robin and I just started crying..." He pulled her tighter, not knowing how else to comfort her. "Then David called..." She started sobbing harder.

"Don't let him get to you, Anna," he whispered.

"I still love him."

"Then why are you divorcing him?"

"He lied to me over and over again. And the baby..."

"I know," he said, stroking her hair. "Felicia told me about the miscarriage. I'm so sorry."

"Why, Frisco?" she cried, holding on to him for dear life. "Why did it happen again? First Duke's baby, and now David's..."

"Maybe you should stay away from men with those pesky D names," he teased, trying to lighten the mood.

Anna couldn't help laughing through her sobs. "That was bad, Frisco."

He smiled. "But it got you laughing."

She looked up at him and he wiped away her tears. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Hey, that's what I'm here for." He led her over to the sofa and sat down, still holding her tight against him. "Why don't you tell me what's going on with you? I know I wasn't getting the whole story from Felicia."

"That seems to be going around. Nobody's been giving me the whole story on you either," she replied, sniffling. "How did you get appointed my knight in shining armor?"

"Sheer luck, actually. I just came by to see if you wanted to get a drink."

"Why didn't you just go downstairs? There's a lounge down there."

"I did. I, uh, didn't want to stay down there by myself," he answered sheepishly.

She looked him strangely. "Why not?"

"Some people I just didn't want to be around."

"Adam?"

Frisco nodded his head hesitantly. "He would be one."

"Frisco, you only know two people in Pine Valley. Me and Adam."

He cringed, not really wanting to tell her the whole story. "That's not entirely true."

"Who else do you know?"

"Erica somethingorother. I don't remember ever getting her last name."

"Erica Kane?" Anna asked, pulling away from him. "How on earth do you know Erica?"

"I'd rather not talk about it," he replied and then changed the subject. "She did tell me Montgomery's leaking information."

"To who?" she groaned. 

"Well, her, for starters," he answered, shrugging. "Who knows who else they might've told."

"What did he tell Erica?"

"Not sure exactly. She asked if I was here for the dismembered bodies."

"That doesn't mean he told her anything."

"True, but he wasn't supposed to even tell that much."

She studied him before speaking again. "Why won't you tell me how you know Erica?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" he replied tersely. She pinched his arm, twisting the skin in an effort to get an answer. "Okay, okay!" he relented, rubbing the irritated spot. "I slept with her a few years ago."

"You slept with her, but you didn't get her name," she repeated in disbelief.

"As you can guess, it wasn't exactly a relationship. Involved excessive amounts of alcohol and trying to get away from the evil stepmonster."

Anna laughed. "I can't see Erica as a one nighter."

"Something tells me she didn't either."

"She come on to you downstairs?"

"Big time," he answered wearily. "Thought maybe you might have a bottle of something up here so I wouldn't have to go back down there."

"Sorry, got rid of all that when I got pregnant," she said, shaking her head. "I was just getting ready to go to bed."

"Well, it's late anyway," he replied dejected.

"Gotta get up and work in the morning."

"I should probably take my pills tonight so I can sleep."

"That might be a good idea. You don't need to be nodding off at work again tomorrow."

"Yeah, well, um... I guess I'll be leaving. Good night, Anna."

"Frisco," Anna said, stopping him. "Thank you." She walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

"You're welcome." 

He kissed her cheek and left, going the short distance to his own room. He glanced back at her door again before going inside, wondering how many nights Anna had spent like this, probably crying herself to sleep alone. There were very few people in this world Frisco actually hated, but David Hayward just made that list.


	36. Chapter 36

Author's notes: Lyrics are "The Safest Place" by Leann Rimes. Rach- thanks!

  
  


_Daytime I'm fine  
Everything is back normal  
Last night I thought that I would die  
I had nightmares, I was so scared  
Thank god that you were by my side  
To hold me when I cried_

Frisco glanced at his laptop. It was still working, so he was playing solitaire on a spare machine at the PVPD. He'd brought a fingerprint scanner with him on the off chance they might find something and now was running Vic 6's prints through the system. If he was an agent or was ever investigated by the WSB, his prints would come up. Over two hours the program had been searching and coming up with nothing, sucking up the CPU on his laptop, making it impossible to do anything else. Not that he actually felt like doing anything productive anyway.

After starting the search program, he looked at the forensics reports closer, eventually giving him a headache. Like the other two scenes, no prints were found, nothing left to identify the killer. Not one damn thing to lead to a suspect. Decomposition was minimal, meaning someone had taken care of the bodies and the scene was found shortly after the parts were dumped. Given the amount of blood pooled below him, Montoya had likely died there, possibly left hanging from that tree for days. But there was no pattern, only a weak common link between the victims. When his head started pounding, that was when he switched to Tetris, then when he bored of that, solitaire.

He looked up in time to see Jack Montgomery walk back to Anna's office. He closed his laptop and followed the other man. He had a few words for the district attorney. He'd given orders to the PVPD after he'd arrived the first night and he did not appreciate being undermined by some small town, egotistical, idiotic know-it-all who didn't agree with the Bureau's policies or presence.

Jack turned to leave when he realized Anna wasn't in her office. Frisco blocked the doorway, arms crossed and looking very hostile. When he spoke, his tone was no different. "First lesson of working with the WSB, Mr. Montgomery," he told the older man coldly, "when we tell you to not divulge information, you better keep your mouth shut. There are very good reasons we operate under secrecy and we are under no obligation to explain those reasons. By not obeying orders, you may have just compromised our case."

Jack's jaw set as he put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Frisco stepped closer to him. "Then explain to me how Erica Kane knew about this case," he said, glaring at the DA. The look on Jack's face just confirmed what Erica had told Frisco the night before. "I don't care how close you two are, you _do not_ reveal sensitive information to anyone not associated with this investigation, much less a civilian."

"Fine."

Frisco moved to the side to let him pass. "I'd better not hear about you discussing this with anyone but me or Anna again," he said as Jack walked by him, "or you will not live long enough to regret it. Is that understood, Mr. Montgomery?"

The implication was clear. "Understood," the older man answered, a hint of doubt in his voice.

Anna watched the scene in front of her as Jack and Frisco exited her office. The district attorney shot her a dirty look as he passed her. "What was that about?" she asked her former protégé, glancing back at the retreating lawyer.

Frisco shrugged dismissively. "Just taking care of business," he answered levelly.

The police chief raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Which was?"

"I was just warning him about divulging information to third parties."

She shook her head. "You didn't need to do that," she told him, walking past him and into her office.

"It's my job, Anna," he stressed, following her and closing the door behind him. "We don't know where this case is going yet and until we do, I don't want anyone knowing more they need to. Inside or outside the Bureau. I wasn't even supposed to let you see the files."

"A little secretive, don't you think?"

"The WSB, secretive?" he said, feigning shock. "Never..."

"Oh, I forgot," she said, rolling her eyes, "it's such an open and honest organization."

"Nothing but," he laughed, grinning broadly.

Anna sat on the edge of her desk. "I made some decisions," she told him.

"What kind of decisions?" 

"My life. Where it's going." She crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "I'm going back to Port Charles with you."

"Good," Frisco said, nodding his approval. "You've got a lot of old friends that will be very happy to finally see you in the flesh. And I think you could use the support right now."

"You're right," she admitted. "I should've gone back a long time ago."

"Whoa, what was that? Did you just say _I'm_ right?" he asked in shock. "Did the great Anna Devane just admit she was _wrong_?"

"Oh, hush up!" she scolded. She pointed a finger at him. "Don't make me rethink this decision!" Frisco held his hands up in silent defeat. She sighed. "Anyways, as I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, I've decided to rejoin the WSB. I talked to Sean this morning. You've got a new agent starting Monday."

He smiled. "We could definitely use you. We're hurting for talent and experience like yours."

"Well, I don't know about experience. I was out of the spy game for over a decade. I'm sure things have changed a lot since then."

"Not really. We just have cooler tools and the enemies have changed a bit. Nothing you won't pick up quickly, I'm sure." He hesitated for a moment. "What brought this on anyway? I thought you were happy here. Well, besides the thing with David..."

"It hasn't been all bad," she told him, smiling wistfully. "I've made some good friends in Pine Valley, but I think it's time to go home. Get back to my life."

"And the WSB is part of that?"

Anna thought for a moment before answering. "I think so. I don't have Robin to worry about, since she's grown up and own her own. Mac is the police commissioner and I'm not going take his job. The WSB is all I have left at the moment."

"You could stay here, you know," he replied softly.

"I know. I don't want to, not after David and the baby." Frisco opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "I've thought a lot about this, Frisco. I'm not running away, this is really what I want."

He wanted to argue that statement with her, but thought better of it and just smiled instead. "Glad to have you back."

"I'm glad to be back," Anna said, matching his smile. "I'm kind of excited about it, actually. I finally get to see you in action. Sean keeps bragging about how good you are."

"Well, I don't know about that..."

She gasped in shock. "Did the great Frisco Jones just turn down an opportunity to brag? This is a first."

Frisco rolled his eyes. "I'm going back to work."

"I know I've been out of the WSB for awhile, but I don't think Tetris counts as work," she teased him as he went back to his computers.

~*~  


Frisco was so in need of a break. He had gone back to pouring over the files, convinced he was missing something. There had to be _something_ they had overlooked. There had to be. Nobody was this good. He jumped slightly at the ringing of his cell phone, startling him. Digging through evidence he'd already been through a hundred times was proving to be an exercise in futility anyway.

"Yeah," he answered distractedly.

"Do you realize the Nurse's Ball is in just over a week?"

He sighed. With everything he had to do, he'd forgotten he'd promised both Lucy and Skye that he would sing. It was the last thing on his mind at the moment. "I haven't even thought about it, Skye."

"We're supposed to be performing, remember?"

"I'm aware of that, Skye."

"When was the last time we rehearsed?"

"What are you getting at?"

He could almost hear her irritation coming through the phone. "When are you going to be back, Frisco?"

"In a day or so," he answered tiredly. "We'll rehearse as soon as I get back, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said, not sounding entirely convinced. "Oh, and I can't be your date."

Great, just great. He was going to end up going alone... "Why not? You're just going to ditch me on our big night?"

"Hardly," she scoffed. "Daddy asked me to go with AJ. He couldn't find a date."

"Why is that my problem?" Frisco whined. "It's not my fault your brother isn't date material."

"Oh, quit acting like a baby. I arranged another date for you."

"Gee thanks," he replied sarcastically. "Who'd you have to bribe?"

"I asked Alexis," Skye told him. "Thought you wouldn't mind spending the evening with her. Especially since Felicia is going with Ned..."

He rolled his eyes, chuckling. Trust Skye Chandler to use any opportunity to further one of her schemes. "Thanks, Skye."

"No problem. Worked out kind of nice, actually. Wifey will get to see you with both of us."

"Yeah, but I have to watch her with Ned."

"But she has to spend the evening in the company of the Quartermaines," she told him, not hiding her amusement. "Plus Edward and Ned have been going on and on about this company out in California that's been trying to raid ELQ. She'll get to listen to that _all_ night."

"What company?" he asked curiously.

"Don't remember exactly. They're out of San Francisco and the CEO's name is Jones. I remember thinking of you when it came up the first time."

What were the odds, he thought. "Was it Paul Jones? Alameda Enterprises?"

"Yeah, that's it. You know it?" she asked, surprised.

Frisco snickered. "Paul's my cousin. Alameda Enterprises is our family's company. Tony and I own a third of it."

"You have to be kidding me!" Skye exclaimed. "That's one of the biggest corporations in the country."

"It used to be just a pharmaceutical company, real big into research," he told her. "My grandfather started it, then when he finally retired, my uncle took over. He died a few years ago. Paul's corporate raider tendencies went wild when he got control of the company."

"I never knew that," Skye said, in a tone Frisco recognized. She was thinking of what she could do with that information. "No wonder you kept telling me you didn't need Adam's money. You've got more money than the Chandlers or the Quartermaines."

The money meant nothing to him, never had. It couldn't make up for the family he'd lost when his mother died. He'd learned very early not to depend on anyone other than himself, that he could survive on his own. That much he'd proven time and time again since he was fifteen. To hell with his father's money. "That had more to do with my own life. I had a nice salary, even nicer with hazard pay, and very few expenses. The only time I've touched my trust fund was for Maxie's heart transplant. I didn't want Adam's money any more than I wanted my father's."

"I wonder what Adam, Edward and Ned would say if they knew that it was your family trying to take over."

"Why would Adam care?" he asked in confusion.

"Rumor has it that Chandler Enterprises is next on Alameda's list," she told him. "Ned asked me to set something up with Adam to fight them. He figures if they band together, both companies might survive this intact."

That sounded like information he, as the competition, shouldn't know. Then again, what the hell did he know about business? "Uh, would this conversation be considered insider trading?" he asked uncertainly.

"No," she chuckled. "Industrial espionage, maybe. That is, _if_ you intend on telling your cousin."

"Hey, espionage! Finally, something in the family business that I can do!" Frisco said cheerily.

"I'm sure your father would be proud."

"Fucking ecstatic, actually," he said with a humorless laugh. "He always said I had no direction or ambition. Don't think the old man would approve of my career choice."

"Well, this is interesting. I'll have to keep this little tidbit in mind," she said in her scheming tone.

"Wait for the worst possible moment, then spring it on Adam and the Quartermaines that their companies are about to be partly mine?"

"Exactly!"

Frisco shook his head. After the conversation he'd had with Adam the previous night, it would be worth it just to see the look on Adam's when he found out. "When Paul takes ELQ over, you want a job? I can hook you up..."

"I'd love that! Whatever did I do to deserve you, Frisco?"

"I don't know, torture small children in another life?" he teased. 

Frisco watched as a man, a woman and two kids entered the room and spoke to Derek. The detective pointed towards him and the beautiful woman approached his desk. He immediately recognized her as Maria Santos Grey, the woman who'd found the bodies. He'd left several messages for her, wanting to interrogate her, but they had basically been playing phone tag his few days in Pine Valley. "Skye, I have to get back to work now. I'll give you a call when I get back," he said and quickly hung up. He watched Maria walk towards him, noticing the tightness of her shirt... God, he needed to get laid, he groaned to himself. He really should've taken Erica's offer last night.

"Frisco Jones?" she asked as she reached his desk, holding a white paper package.

He stood and extended his hand. "You must be Maria," he replied, smiling.

She returned his smile, shaking his hand. "I apologize for not coming by sooner. Things have been busy at work."

"I understand completely," he said. "My brother is a doctor. I think he's on call as nearly much as I am."

"What's his specialty?"

"Tony's a neurologist," Frisco answered.

"Tony Jones from Port Charles General Hospital?" she asked, sounding pleasantly surprised. "He's your brother?"

"You know him?" he replied in disbelief.

"I met him at a conference a few years ago." Maria rolled her eyes embarrassedly. "Well, I guess it was more than a few," she added with a chuckle. "Doesn't seem that long ago."

"I know what you mean," he chuckled. "Time just seems fly by, doesn't it?"

"That it does." She hesitated. "Um, you said you wanted to question me about..." She trailed off, looking decidedly sick.

"Yes, why don't we go someplace private." He checked his laptop, but the program was still searching. Damn it, if he couldn't use the laptop, he'd have to dig out the digital recorder he hated with a passion. "Give me a second," he said, looking around for his briefcase. He found it under the desk, and luckily didn't have to search for the recorder, which had been in the first pocket he looked in. He grabbed it, a pad of paper, his pen, and the file. He led Maria into one of the interrogation rooms.

She sat down at the table nervously. She placed the paper package on the table in front her. Her fingers ran lightly over the tissue paper protectively, yet warily. 

Frisco eyed the package curiously. "Do you mind if I record this?" he asked, getting back to business.

"No, go ahead," she answered, her voice a bit on the shaky side.

Her tension was obvious. He'd been through this a thousand times. As a suspect, as a witness, and as an investigator, he was just used to the routine, he guessed. Probably terrifying for something who'd never been interrogated before. "You okay?" he asked her with concern.

"Yeah," she said, giving him an uneasy smile. "I'm fine."

"Alright. Just take a deep breath. This won't be too bad, I promise," he replied, trying to reassure her. He started the recorder. "Why don't you tell me how you came across the scene," he suggested.

"Well, Edmund, my husband, and I were out riding, taking one of the trails through the woods. I stopped to pick up some flowers and saw the... the..." she stammered, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath before continuing. "The body parts were scattered all over from what I could see. I rushed back to where Edmund was and we rode back. We called Anna as soon as we got back to the house."

He jotted a couple notes to himself, but if that was all she knew, he wasn't going to be writing much. "You didn't go out into the clearing?"

She shuddered. "No. Just seeing it was bad enough."

"Did you come across anything before you got to the clearing to indicate what was there?"

"No, there wasn't anything I noticed. I don't know if Anna or Derek found anything like that."

"Did you or your husband see anyone suspicious around that day? Anyone lurking in places they shouldn't?"

"I didn't, but I was at the hospital most of the day," she answered, a tad calmer than before. "Edmund never said anything about anyone suspicious. If he'd seen someone, I'm sure he would've said something."

Frisco thought for a moment, racking his brain for anything else he might need to know, but nothing sprang to mind. "I think that's all I need then," he said, looking back over his notes.

Maria looked down at the package under her hands. "There is one more thing." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I didn't say anything to Anna that night because I thought the flowers I was picking up were from Edmund. They were leading to the clearing, so I thought maybe he had a surprise for me. We've been through a rough time with my memory loss and he's been doing things like that lately. I didn't really think much about it, but last night, he asked where the flowers came from. They weren't from him. I don't know where they came from."

He sat back in the chair, suddenly getting a very bad feeling about what she'd brought with her. "Were they just wildflowers?" he asked cautiously, but in his gut, he already knew the answer.

"No," she said, shaking her head.

Maria moved the package to the middle of the table and opened the tissue paper. As Frisco saw the flowers she'd brought, his heart jumped in his throat and all the color drained from his face. "Oh no," he breathed.

Sitting in the tissue were orchids.


	37. Chapter 37

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones. Final warning- I don't watch AMC, so I may be completely off with Maria and Edmund, but this is the last Pine Valley chapter. Rach- thanks! Yeah, the stuff about Frisco's family is mine, the show didn't go into much detail about the family. As for the orchids, what you're thinking, it's right and it's wrong, that's all I'll say... ;) Goblz- thanks! The orchid reference is new in the story, but it's old on the show. The relevent part will be explained right away...  
  
  


_Pleased to meet you  
Hope you guess my name  
But what's puzzling you  
Is the nature of my game_

Maria was talking to him. She was leaning over the table, a worried look on her face. "Frisco, are you alright? You just spaced out and got pale all of a sudden." 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he answered, stammering. "You said these were trailing to the clearing?"

She sat back down, concern still etched in her face. "Yes," she said softly, watching his reaction. "They mean something, don't they?"

"Uh..." He hesitated, not wanting to give anything away, especially considering her husband was an investigative journalist. "Maybe," he admitted, perhaps a little too quickly. He pulled himself together, snapping back into work mode. "Is there anything else?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "That's everything."

He shut off the recorder, smiling unsurely. "Okay, I'll get this typed up for you to sign before I go back tomorrow."

"If you can't get me at home, I'm probably at the hospital. Just have me paged." She walked to the door, but stopped and turned back to him. "Are you sure you're alright, Frisco?"

"I'm okay," he assured her. As soon as she was gone, he laid his head down on the table in frustration. The orchids were the last thing he wanted to find.

Anna knocked, then opened the door. "Everything alright in here?" she asked.

Frisco's head shot up. "Yeah."

"How'd it go?"

He shrugged. "There wasn't a lot for her to say."

"I didn't think she'd be able to help much."

Frisco sighed, having no desire to tell her what he'd gotten from Maria. But he had to tell her. "I didn't say that."

Anna looked surprised. "How so? I interviewed Edmund before you got in. They just stumbled onto the scene."

He pointed to the orchids. "Maria thought they were from Edmund. That's why she didn't say anything before."

Anna gasped and sat in a chair before her knees gave out. "Orchids."

"Not so thin after all," he said, his disappointment obvious.

"He was here," she said quietly, not really listening to Frisco anymore.

"Looks that way."

"He left these for me."

"I hate it when Mac's right," he grumbled.

Anna looked up at him. "Why would Faison do this?" she asked, instincts finally kicking in.

A question he'd asked himself several times, never coming to a conclusion. "I don't know."

"I mean, he started with you. The murder scenes have all been directed towards you," she explained. "I haven't heard from him in all these years. I may be the reason these victims were brought to Pine Valley, but everything out there was meant for you. Nothing at the scene meant anything to me, except for this. The two WSB badges, I wouldn't have known them from Adam, I've been out of it for so long."

"I didn't know them either, Anna. I haven't known any of them, except Montoya."

"But you knew who they were from the previous scene," she reminded him. "I only called you because they were WSB. I didn't know you'd already found the rest of the bodies. I didn't know anything about this case before I looked through the files."

He wasn't totally following her train of thought. "So?"

"So why did he drop this in my lap now? Why would he direct an attack at you?"

Frisco thought for a moment. Those were questions he couldn't answer. He hadn't done anything in regards to Faison since they both left Port Charles and that was over ten years ago. His focus had mostly been terrorism in the Middle East and Africa. Even in the DVX's heyday, they hadn't had a large part in what he'd been fighting and it wasn't something Faison would've personally involved himself in. Too much of a threat, an unpredictable variable that could not be trusted nor controlled. Even when Faison kidnapped Felicia the last time, he had directed his threats at Luke and Mac, not Frisco. Hell, he didn't even know about it until it was long over.

"I don't know, Anna," he finally answered. "I can't think of a single reason why he'd come after me after all this time. Or why he'd do it in this fashion and leave so little evidence. No clues to what his agenda is."

"That's the big question, isn't it? Why."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Maybe it's not him. It's almost like somebody's trying to copycat him."

"Why would someone want to do that?"

"Hell if I know. You saw the files. I don't know anything that's not in the files. This," he said, lifting up the tissue paper, "is the best evidence we've got so far."

"Too bad we can't get fingerprints from flowers. Whoever left them probably weren't as careful with the orchids."

With all the WSB's advanced techniques, maybe they could get something. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. 

"Who are you calling?" Anna asked.

"Sean. Our forensics lab can do a whole lot more than a civilian lab can. I don't know if that applies to flowers though." When the director finally answered, Frisco groaned as Sean started in about his drinking again. "You gave me this lecture before you left," he said, interrupting his boss. "Can you send Will down to the fingerprint lab and see if they can do anything with flowers? Have someone down there call me when they have an answer. Thanks, Sean." He quickly hung up before the older agent could add anything else. Sean was one of his best friends and he knew the man cared about him, but all this "caring" was stifling sometimes.

"Do you think your people will be able to pull any prints off the flowers?"

"No idea. If they don't call me back by tonight, I'll go ahead and get Maria's prints when I see her tomorrow." He looked at his old friend and smiled nervously. "I'm pretty much done here," he added softly.

"Guess I'll be busy packing tonight," she replied.

"Need any help?" he offered softly.

"I might," she shrugged. "Oh, by the way, Maria and Edmund invited us to dinner tomorrow night."

Oh wonderful, Frisco groaned to himself. A night with an attractive woman and her family. Just what he needed.

~*~

Frisco knocked on the door of the big estate, shuffling around the two cases he'd brought with him. Anna was smiling slyly at him, trying to look innocent. He knew that look well enough to know she was up to something. And he had no idea what that was.

Edmund opened the door, smiling. "Hi!" he said, ushering the two agents inside. Anna whispered something to him and disappeared further into the house. "I don't think we were ever introduced. I'm Edmund Grey."

Frisco shook the other man's hand. "Frisco Jones."

"Anna's told us a lot about you. You used to be a rock star?"

Frisco laughed humorlessly. "Is that the only thing people remember about me? That I was a rock star in another life?"

"Well, that not something most of us run into everyday."

Frisco followed Edmund into a family room where two kids were playing. "These are our kids, Sam and Maddie."

Frisco smiled regretfully as he set down the cases. The boy and girl were at an age that he had few memories of his own daughters at. He'd been too focused on work during those years.

"You have kids?" Edmund asked, seeing his smile.

"Two daughters." The agent pulled a fairly recent picture of the girls out of his wallet and showed it to the other man. "Georgie's twelve and Maxie is sixteen going on thirty."

"I'm not looking forward to that age," Edmund replied, handing back to picture. He hesitated momentarily, slightly uneasy. "Being in the WSB has to be hard where your daughters are concerned," he said cautiously.

"Yeah, it is." Georgie calls her stepfather Dad and Maxie hates me, Frisco added silently.

"Family's not encouraged, from what sources have told me. I've done a few articles involving the WSB."

He smirked. "I know. Donely had most of them blocked."

"Is that who was responsible for that?"

Frisco chuckled, shrugging. "Donely's the guy in charge."

"I'll have to remember that."

"It won't help you get anything past him. He's pretty strict about the press."

"There is a little thing called the First Amendment."

"You should know the Bureau doesn't operate on that level. As far as the general public is concerned, the WSB doesn't exist and never will."

Anna came into the room, preventing Edmund from arguing Frisco's last comment. "Anybody hungry?" she asked, glancing between the two men as the two children cheered and rushed past her. "Did I interrupt something?"

~*~

Dinner was wonderful. Frisco had almost forgotten what a family dinner could be like. It reminded him of his own home, the dinners his family had had up until his mother couldn't handle them anymore. Although regretful and a little sad for what he'd lost and what he'd given up, he felt content. The kids bickering, debating with Edmund over First Amendment rights vs. the WSB without any hard feelings on either side, cracking a few jokes with Maria about his brother's lack of fashion sense and competing with Anna to see who could tell the most embarrassing story about the other. A competition Anna had won, much to Frisco's disappointment and everyone else's amusement. He never realized how crazy he'd gotten while Felicia was with Colton until his old friend started in with some of the things he'd done trying to win his wife back. She wasn't an outright winner, though. He made it clear to Anna he still held one ace by vaguely referring to the Valentine's Day when Anna had tied Robert up and Frisco had to go untie him. He swore Anna turned a shade of red he'd never seen before for a brief moment.

Anna helped the family clear the table after dinner, leaving Frisco in the room alone. Maria came into the room a short time later, by herself, with a birthday cake in her hands. "We heard a rumor today is your birthday," she said, smiling broadly and sitting the cake on the table in front of Frisco. "And since the only other people in town you know, Anna said you wouldn't want to be around, we thought we would throw you a little party." She lit the candles. "It's not much..."

Frisco was floored. It had been years, before he and Felicia had divorced at least, since anyone had done anything for his birthday. Hell, the last few years he was doing good to even remember his birthday. This year was no exception. It had completely slipped his mind. He'd certainly never expected Anna to remember after everything she had been through in the last few years. "No, Maria, this is nice," he assured her, smiling uncertainly. "It's very nice. Thank you."

Maddie and Sam came bounding back in the room, carrying bowls and ice cream, Anna and Edmund close behind.

"Blow out the candles," Maddie ordered excitedly. "You have to make a wish!"

"A wish, huh? Are you sure that's how it works?" Frisco teased the girl.

"Yep, that's how it works," she told him definitively.

He stared at the little flames. Forty-one of them to be exact. One wish as he entered middle age with nothing to show for his life... The only thing he wished was for his family back, his life back. For things to be the way they were before he managed to screw everything up yet again. To go through one day without the memories. But a wish wasn't going to change the past. The future was still up for grabs, though. That he could wish for, for things to be different, to not have the same regrets as he did now. He took a deep breath and blew out the candles. About half of them immediately lit back up. He shook his head, trying to hide a smile.

"Very funny," Frisco said, licking his fingers to put out the trick candles.

"Sorry. We were scraping to come up with so many candles," Anna said teasingly.

"Last I checked, you were older than me, Devane."

"No need to remind me!" 

"I hope you like chocolate, Frisco," Maria said.

Frisco grinned, picking up a knife to cut the cake. "I love chocolate."

~*~

"I'm glad you enjoyed our little surprise," Maria said to Frisco. "When Edmund was talking Anna about dinner, she mentioned it was your birthday. She wanted to do something for you since you weren't at home."

They were alone in the family room. Frisco had pulled her aside to give her her statement from the previous day. She'd quickly read over the document and signed her name. Frisco was taking her fingerprints

"I'm surprised Anna even remembered it. Truthfully, I didn't even remember it."

"How could you not remember your own birthday?"

It had been a long time since he looked forward to it, a long time since it meant anything but his anniversary was coming up. Or what would be his and Felicia's anniversary. He just shrugged. "Too many years of not even knowing what day it was and not having anyone to celebrate it with anyway."

"What about your family?"

"I, uh, haven't been around much," he admitted sheepishly.

"I know how hard it is to come home after being away so long," she said knowingly, making Frisco wonder how much Anna had told them.

"No offense Maria, but you have no idea. You lost your memory and your family thought you were dead. My situation and yours, two totally different things."

"So what's your story then?"

"I left," he told her sadly. "I walked away from my wife and my daughters for my job more than once. No matter what she tells me, I think there's a part of Felicia that's never forgiven me for joining the WSB." He chuckled cynically. "I don't blame her. She deserved more than what I gave her, so did the girls. They moved on without me. Felicia remarried and Mac was a better husband and father than I would have been. And suddenly here I am, back and wanting to be a part of it again." His fingers traced the surface of the fingerprint scanner he'd been using for Maria's prints. "It's not going over real well."

"Just give it time," she told him, touching his shoulder. "I'm sure everything will work out."

"Is that a neurologist thing? 'Cause my brother keeps telling me the same thing," Frisco complained, his face scrunched in annoyance.

Maria laughed. "Maybe you should start listening to him."

"But what fun would that be?"


	38. Chapter 38

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Helter Skelter" by The Beatles. Rach & goblz- thank you as always! :D  
  


  


_When I get to the bottom  
I go back to the top of the slide  
I get to the top  
And I go for a ride  
I get to the bottom  
And I do it again  
_

The flight back to Port Charles, neither Frisco nor Anna spoke. He knew what was on her mind. No matter what she said, she was worried about Faison. The orchids had shaken her. Hell, they'd shaken him too. He'd so wanted to believe it was someone else. Now, he didn't know what to be ready for. They had no idea what Faison's motivations were this time around.

An agent was waiting for them as the small jet landed. Frisco handed her the WSB gear he'd taken to Pine Valley, keeping the files himself. "Get these to the print lab immediately," he ordered, giving the young agent the evidence bag containing the orchids. "The witness's prints are already in the system and linked in the case file. They should have access."

"Yes, sir," she answered. 

Frisco watched her and her partner load the gear into their car and drive away. He reboarded the plane to help Anna with her things. She only brought back a couple suitcases and boxes. Just few enough for the two to carry them to his car without help.

"A Mustang, Frisco?" she said with amusement when they reached the car. "Going through a mid-life crisis?"

"No crisis, I just like fast cars."

"Uh huh."

Anna was quiet through the drive back to Frisco's house. It was clear she was taking in the town she hadn't seen in over ten years. He was used to Port Charles, but it was probably a bit of a change from what it looked like in 1992. "You should see the house now, what Felicia's done with it," he said, tiring of the silence.

"She sent me pictures. It looks nice. Very... Felicia," Anna answered distractedly. "Where's your place?"

"It's Robert and Holly's old townhouse, actually." Anna didn't say anything, but Frisco thought he could almost see her reaction in the darkness without even looking at her. He wanted to kick himself for mentioning Robert, much less with Holly. "It was either that or kick Sonny Corinthos out of Sean's old penthouse."

"Why not somewhere else?"

"The secret room..."

She smiled sadly. "Of course." They turned onto his street. There were cars packed along the street and a stereo blaring in the background. "Looks like somebody's having a party."

As he drove slowly down the street, he had a sneaking suspicion who was throwing it. "Looks like I am." Maxie is so dead, he thought.

"How old is Maxie again?"

"Old enough to take advantage of the old man being out of town."

Luckily no one had parked in the driveway, except Maxie, of course. They got out of the car, leaving her things inside. He walked into the house made a beeline for the stereo. He hit the power button, pulling out his badge. "Anyone who doesn't want to spend the night in lockup has 60 seconds to clear out," he said, holding his badge high in the air.

The teens rushed for the door, pushing their way through as fast as they could. It'd be amusing if Frisco wasn't so pissed off. He watched Lucas and Serena try and sneak through the crowd. "Not so fast you two," he said, pulling them to sofa and gesturing for them to sit. "Where's the ring leader?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Uncle Frisco," Lucas said, his voice cracking anxiously.

Frisco shook his head. The kid couldn't lie to save his life. It was an admirable trait, but laughable, a Jerome that couldn't lie through his teeth. Hell, a Jones or a Spencer that couldn't lie through their teeth was completely unbelievable. "You gotta learn to lie better, Lucas. I know you didn't do this on your own. Maxie is the only one of you that knows how to get through the security system. Now where is she?"

"Upstairs with Kyle," the teenager answered defeatedly, looking down.

"Watch these two," Frisco told Anna and headed upstairs. The doors to his and Georgie's rooms were open. He knocked on Maxie's door, ignoring the moaning coming from inside. "You have 30 seconds to get dressed and get your ass out here," he growled. He could hear shuffling around, as they scrambled to get their clothes on. He glared icily at Kyle as the kid sheepishly left quickly, only sneaking a glance at Frisco.

Maxie stomped to the doorway, still only half dressed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" she spat.

"One, your father. Two, the owner of this house, who did not approve any party."

"Oh please! It's a little late to start playing Dad, Frisco. You've never bothered to care before."

"Don't even go there, Maxie!" Frisco growled. "That's bullshit and you know it. Being a brat isn't going to get you out of trouble, _sweetheart_."

"I hate you!" she screamed, slamming the door in his face. "I wish you'd never come home!"

He opened the door, slamming it against the wall. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her downstairs.

"Hey!" she protested.

"You don't get to be offended right now."

He threw her on the sofa next to the other two teens. "Where are you three supposed to be tonight?"

"Maxie's," Serena answered.

"Dad's," Lucas said next.

"Mom's not even home," Maxie muttered, her arms and legs crossed angrily.

"Where is she?" Frisco demanded.

She rolled her eyes. "Out with Ned."

"Who's with Georgie?"

"Lulu's spending the night. They're fine."

God, he wanted to slap her. "Are you supposed to be babysitting them?" he asked, but he knew the answer.

"They're fine! They can take care of themselves!" the young woman argued.

"Okay, here's the deal. I don't know what's Scott's going to do to you, Serena, but you two," he pointed at Lucas and Maxie, "are grounded. All three of you are staying here tonight and cleaning this place up in the morning. And you're calling the parental units to tell them where you are and why exactly you won't be home tonight."

"Mom's not home," Maxie reminded him.

"You're getting out of that duty. I'll call her _on her cell phone_," he answered, emphasis on the last part. 

"Dad's on duty tonight," Lucas said, trying to get out of calling.

"So call the hospital," Frisco replied, throwing his nephew his cell phone. Looking at his daughter, he said, "Don't move from that spot. You and me are going to have a little chat when I get off the phone." 

Frisco walked back towards the empty study, triggering the hidden door in the hallway. He plopped down in the simple chair and picked up phone on the desk, dialing Felicia's cell number.

"You were a little harsh, don't you think?" Anna said, leaning in the doorway.

"No. They made a mess of my house. I don't think it's too much to ask that they clean it up."

"I meant Maxie."

"She deserves it. She's lucky I didn't just shoot her or the scumbag she was having sex with."

Before Anna could respond, Felicia answered. "Hello?"

"It's Frisco."

"Hi."

He couldn't tell if she was happy or upset to be hearing from him. Honestly he didn't know how to feel about it either. No matter, he wasn't calling just to chat. "I thought I'd let you know Maxie threw a party at my house tonight."

"She what?" she asked, her voice low and too calm.

This tone he knew. Felicia was not a happy camper. "I'm sure they can take care of themselves, but she left Georgie and Lulu alone."

Felicia sighed angrily. "No, they can't take care of themselves. They always find new ways to cause trouble. That's why I don't leave them alone together and Maxie knows that."

"You want me to run over and check on them?"

"No, just send Maxie back home and tell her I'll be there in a bit."

"Uh, I already told her she had to stay here to clean up with Lucas and Serena. I'm only like two minutes away, I'll go over and stay with the girls until you get home."

"Just call them and see how they're doing. I can be there in a few minutes."

Now that he thought about it, Maxie was probably right. The girls probably were okay. "If they'd gotten themselves in trouble, I'm sure you would've heard about it by now. Georgie is probably being a little angel so she can blackmail Maxie later. I pulled that one on my brother a few times."

"Let me know how long you ground her for."

He was surprised. Even when he lived with Felicia and the girls, she had handled most of the discipline. "I hadn't thought about it. I just figured you'd..."

"It's your house, Frisco."

Yeah, it was, he thought with a sigh. His house, his daughter, his responsibility. "Well, I guess I'll figure something out then."

"Thank you for letting me know."

"Sorry about interrupting your date. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

He hung up the phone to find Anna leaning against the desk next to him. He looked up at her, but said nothing.

"You going to go a little easier on her? You should understand her," she said.

"I do understand. That's why I'm not going to let her get away with this."

"Are you being rough on her because of what you did at her age?"

"At her age I was selling drugs and whatever else I could to pay for a cheap room with holes in the drywall and pet rats and cockroaches so I wasn't sleeping on the street." He sighed. "I pulled the same stunts when I was living at home, after Mom got sick. I used whatever excuse I could come up with to weasel out of a punishment. Believe me, I said a lot of hurtful things out of anger. Dad and Tony pretty much let me get away with murder because of it. So I understand very well. Maxie's not getting out of this because she said she hates me. Been there, done that." Anna just raised a skeptical eyebrow, but Frisco had an excellent idea of what was going through her mind. "I'm not being hypocritical, Anna. It's not like I'm going any harder on her than Felicia would. Hell, she'd probably be worse because I have no idea what to do," he said, lying his head down. "I've never had to punish my kids before. I never even punished BJ or Robin."

"Poor baby has to do his job," she teased.

Frisco glared at her. "If you don't watch it, I'll make you go stay with the Quartermaines."

Anna shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to play referee in that house."

~*~

Lucas and Serena had gone to bed - Lucas on the sofa and Serena in Maxie's room - and Maxie had gone up to his room when Frisco finally emerged from the secret room. As he walked through the dark living room, he spotted his nephew's head pop up over the top of the sofa.

"Night, Lucas," he said softly.

"I'm sorry about the party, Uncle Frisco."

"It's okay, kiddo. You get your dad called?"

"He was busy so I left him a message. Execution postponed till tomorrow, I guess."

"It won't be that bad. It's not like he never threw a party when our parents were out of town."

"He told me he never did anything like that."

"If he tells you that again, I've got a name for you. Beth Evers."

"Who's she?"

"He'll know. Good night."

He walked upstairs to his own room. He found Maxie laying on his bed, asleep, or at least he thought she was. He sighed, standing in doorway watching her. Even in sleep she looked troubled. Guilt gnawed at his heart. He was responsible for it. He had been the one that hurt her. His own daughter.

"I know you're there," she said moodily, opening her eyes.

"Give the attitude a rest, Maxie. I'm getting really sick of it."

"As if I care."

Frisco closed the door behind him. "What do expect to accomplish by acting like this?" She didn't bother to look at or answer him. "You think if you piss me off enough I'll leave and you can go back to hating me again, is that it?" She rolled over, trying to ignore him. "I've been down that road, believe it or not. It's not easy, it's not pretty and the only one who's going to get hurt is you."

"Don't you have any terrorists to bust?"

"Lucky for you they're in Port Charles. I don't have to go looking for them anymore."

"So why don't you go bug them instead of hassling me?"

"Oh, sorry to interfere with your social life. God forbid I be worried about my daughter." He knew what was coming next. "We're not having that discussion again."

She sat up, still facing away from him. "Mac is my dad. He was the one that was there for me when I was growing up. He was the one that came to my games, my school plays, my parent-teacher conferences. He was the one that hugged me when I needed it and held me when I had nightmares. He did everything you were supposed to because you weren't here. You didn't care. You were off trying to save the world. You can't just come back like nothing happened and try to replace him."

He couldn't argue with most of what she said. Mac was everything he wasn't, but should've been. He knew that, he didn't need Maxie to remind him. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He felt the burning of tears waiting to fall.

"This has nothing to do with Mac," he said, trying desperately to hold back the emotions threatening overwhelm him.

"It has everything to do with Mac."

"No, it doesn't. I can't replace him, I know that, nor do I even want to. What happens between us, it doesn't affect your relationship with him. I'm glad he was there and you didn't end up with someone like my stepmother." He sat on the bed a couple feet away from her, hoping she wouldn't turn away from him again. "I wasn't there. I can't argue that and you have all rights to be mad at me for it. That's a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life." He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shrug him off or move. Frisco took that as a good sign. "But I did care, Maxie. I always cared. You and Georgie, you're my daughters. There's nothing on this earth that I love more than you girls."

She turned her head to look at him, tears glistening in her eyes. "Then why did you leave?"

He felt his stomach tighten. He couldn't give Felicia, Tony or himself an answer to that question, what the hell was he supposed to tell her? The least he owed her after all this time was the truth. "I don't even know anymore. There are answers I can't give you, things I don't understand myself. It's..." He dropped his hand, sighing. "It's complicated."

"Gee, that's helpful."

"You're not a child anymore, Maxie. You should know by now how things can get screwed up. Hell, I've been home long enough for you to have a good idea how screwed up I am. A lot of that comes from before I even moved to Port Charles..."

"You're fucked in the head, you had a terrible life, blah, blah, blah. That's why you had to leave the children you claim to love more than anything else on earth." She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "That is such complete bullshit."

Frisco shot up off the bed. "What the fuck do you want me to tell you?" he yelled with a ferocity that frightened Maxie. Images of his father flashed in his mind, but Frisco just couldn't fight the rage that was beginning to boil within him. "That I'm sorry? Well, I am sorry! I'm trying to be honest with you! The least you can do is listen to me!" 

The memories wouldn't leave his mind. Andrew Sr.'s drunken binges and watching him stumble in at midnight barely able to walk. The yelling, smashing anything the old man could get his hands on, slapping the wife and kid around a bit, blowing up at the smallest thing. Tony rushing into his room and pushing him into a spare closet to hide when their father had come home pissed off. The fights he'd picked at school to cover up the bruises when Tony came home from college and med school. The constant apologies and promises from his father that he would never do it again, promises that only lasted until the next binge. 

Frisco paced like a caged tiger, shaking with an anger he couldn't control. He had tried to block out all those childhood memories in a desperate attempt to remember the man his father was when he was sober. In his mind now, they only fueled his rage. He looked around frantically, running both hands through his hair, brushing it out of his face. When he felt the first hot tear roll down his cheek, the dam broke. He grabbed the first thing within reach and threw it against the far wall.

Maxie shrieked as an alarm clock flew well over her head and smashed into the wall a few feet away from her. She looked in fear between her enraged father and the damage he'd left on the wall.

Anna rushed into the room. "What's going on in here? Are you okay?" she asked, glancing between father and daughter. Neither answered her, but Maxie looked scared to death and Frisco looked angrier than she'd ever seen him. "Frisco, answer me," she demanded gently as possible. "Please."

Her voice seemed to knock a little sense into Frisco. He couldn't stay here, he had to get away. He just couldn't face Maxie now. "I'm going to Luke's," he muttered as he stormed out of the room, past startled Serena and Lucas in the hall and out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

As soon as she heard the front door slam and her father's car peel out of the driveway, Maxie broke down. Anna sat next to the scared teen and put an arm around her goddaughter, letting the girl cry. 

"What happened, Maxie?"

"I don't know. We were arguing and he was upset, then all of a sudden he was yelling and he threw the clock at me..." Maxie sobbed.

Anna pulled away, holding the girl by the shoulders. "He threw a clock at you?" she asked, stunned.

"Well, not at me, exactly. It went way over my head. I don't think he was aiming at anything."

The British agent looked back at the two teens in the doorway. "Lucas, when does your father get off-duty?"

"I'm not sure," he answered quietly. "But he shouldn't be off yet."

"Did Frisco grab his cell phone?"

"I don't think so."

"You two think you can look after Maxie?" Anna asked the couple, standing up.

"I'll be okay," Maxie answered, still emotional.

"Lucas, I want you to call Luke. Tell him that Frisco is on his way over and to keep him there until I get there. If he has any problems, I'm taking Frisco's cell phone. Got it?" He nodded. She started to walk out of the room, but stopped in the doorway and turned back to the three teens. "This doesn't leave this house, okay? Tony and I will take care of this. If anyone else needs to know about it, he and I will handle it. The three of you aren't to say anything to anyone. Is that understood?" The teens agreed silently. "Alright. You've got the number, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything."

Anna headed down the stairs quickly, grabbing Frisco's phone from where Lucas had left it on the coffee table. 

She was almost to the door when Maxie reached the bottom of the stairs. "Anna!" she said.

The older woman turned around, realizing what she was missing. 

"Take my car," the girl said, tossing her the keys. "Anna?"

"Yes, Maxie?"

The teen looked at her godmother fearfully, her arms crossed. "Tell my dad I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"The party, getting him so upset," she answered sheepishly.

Anna went over to the girl and hugged her. She cupped the girl's face. "You aren't responsible for his anger, Maxie. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. All he wanted me to do was listen to him and I wouldn't do it. I had to open my big mouth." Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Maxie stopped her. "Just give him the message, okay?" she said, then turned and went back upstairs.

Anna watched the girl retreat to her room in silence before leaving herself. This wasn't the Frisco she knew. He had always had a bit of a temper, but never like this. She had to know what was going on in his head.


	39. Chapter 39

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Home Sweet Home" by Motley Crue. I think I've lost all sense of time in this fic. I will eventually get past Frisco's birthday! Maybe I'm just stuck on Brad Bell time, lol! Rach & goblz- thanks!!!  
  
  


_My heart's like an open book  
For the whole world to read  
Somtimes nothing--keeps me together  
At the seams  
_

Frisco walked into Luke's, throwing the door open and still fuming. His face might as well have been bright red with steam coming out of his ears, he was so pissed off. Luckily there weren't many customers that late. He wasn't in the mood to be around people. He took a seat at the bar, making eye contact with only the bartender.

"Hey Frisco," Mike Corbin said after he'd sat down. "Whisky?"

"Sure."

Frisco downed the drink as soon as Mike had set it in front of him.

"Maybe you should take it easy," the older man said, concerned.

"Don't tell me to take it easy," Frisco growled, glaring at the bartender.

The absolute coldness of Frisco's expression made Mike very uneasy. He poured the agent another drink and went towards the back in search of Luke.

Frisco finished the second drink as quickly as the first, but didn't notice Mike leave. His mind was on still on the fight earlier. He hadn't meant to hurt Maxie. He just felt an irrepressible need to destroy something, anything. Fuck, he'd thrown a goddamn clock at his own kid! This rage simmering inside him was just so controlling sometimes, he felt helpless to stop it. 

His father. The images flashed through his mind again. Andrew Jones Sr. had been a good man for the most part. But he had been a drunk. Frisco had so many memories of alcohol-fueled fights, when his father did the same thing he just had done to Maxie.

No, Frisco told himself. He wasn't like the old man. He wasn't anything like him. He _couldn't_ be like him.

"Why is it you only come in here when you have problems?" Luke asked, pouring his friend another drink.

"Because this is a bar and that's the only time I feel like standing up to Sean and Tony's no alcohol policy," the younger man replied petulantly.

"What's Sean still doing here anyway?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "He should've gone back to Boston a long time ago."

Luke poured him yet another drink. "When did you get back?"

"A little while ago. Maxie threw a coming home party."

The older man's eyes narrowed. "I thought Maxie was babysitting Tweedledee and Tweedledumb tonight."

"They're okay. I talked to them a little while ago. They were planning on blackmailing her."

"That sounds like our little angels," Luke said with a humorless, although almost proud, laugh.

Frisco tapped his glass on the bar. "Another one."

Luke hesitantly grabbed the bottle. "Are you trying to die of alcohol poisoning tonight?" he asked, pouring drinks for both of them.

"Fuck you, Spencer," the younger man growled.

"Sorry, you're not my type. I like blondes."

"Well, that explains the portrait of Helena on your wall."

"To quote my daughter, as if!" Luke gulped down his drink and pushed the glass down the bar. "How would you feel about some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?" Frisco asked, unbelieving. "You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope. I keep a couple pints around here for the munchkin when she stops by to see me. Thought we might break 'em out and suffer through brain freeze rather than our usual hangover."

"Who told you to stall me?"

"What makes you think I'm trying to stall you? You drink too much, man. And coming from me, that's a very bad thing."

Frisco dropped his head to the bar, banging it on the hard surface. "Oh god, not you too," he groaned.

~*~

Anna walked purposefully into the emergency entrance of GH. The hospital looked different than the last time she'd been here, but she wasn't here to reminisce. She needed to find Tony.

"Anna!" an excited female voice called.

She looked in the direction of the voice and couldn't help smiling at the sight of Monica Quartermaine rushing up to her. "It's been a long time, Monica."

The two women hugged, neither really wanting to let go. "A long time?" Monica asked in disbelief. "You were dead!" She hugged her friend again. "It is so good to see you, Anna."

Anna wasn't sure how she would feel being back in Port Charles, but Monica only brought up happy memories of friends, family, good times. People who knew and loved her for the woman she was. She was finally home. "Good to be seen, I guess."

"I heard you were living in Pennsylvania, right?"

"Yes, Pine Valley, but I'm back in Port Charles now. Look, Monica..."

"You're back? Like for good? That's wonderful!" Monica said, rushing the words out, not giving Anna a chance to get a word in edgewise. "You know, I know a doctor in Pine Valley, another cardiologist, David Hayward. Can't stand the arrogant bastard." She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Do you know him?"

"I was married to him, actually," Anna answered awkwardly, running her fingers through her hair. "Monica, I don't really have time to chat right now. I need to find Tony. Is he around?"

"I think he's sleeping in one of the exam rooms," the doctor answered disappointedly.

Monica led her through the halls of GH's emergency room until they found the room Tony was hiding out in. "Thank you, Monica," Anna said, smiling dismissively. "I'll give you a call tomorrow, I promise."

"Alright, I'll be home." Monica started down the hallway but turned back to her friend. "It's good to have you back, Anna. You've been missed around here."

"It's good to be back," she whispered. With a sigh, she knocked before entering the small room. Tony barely moved as she opened the door. "Tony?" Her only answer was a sleepy moan from the older doctor. "Tony," she repeated, shaking him insistently.

He pushed himself up on his elbow, rubbing his eyes. "Anna?" he asked groggily.

"How much longer are you on duty for?" she asked urgently.

"Awhile," he answered, yawning. "Why?"

"Are things too busy for you to get away for a little while?"

He sat straight up, suddenly much more awake. "What's happened to my little brother now?" he asked worriedly.

"He got in a fight with Maxie and took off."

"Over the party?" She looked at him, confused. "I got Lucas's message about the party the kids threw at his house," he added.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I don't know what happened exactly but Frisco was talking to Maxie, he got angry and started yelling and then he threw a clock at her."

"He _what_?" he asked, dumbfounded. "He threw a clock at her?"

"Maxie says he wasn't aiming at anything, but apparently it flew right over her head. I heard her scream before it hit the wall." She sighed. "I hardly recognized him, he was so angry. Maxie was terrified. Lucas could hear him yelling all the way downstairs. What is going on with him, Tony?"

Tony sighed, his eyes on the floor. "He's had a lot of problems the last few years."

"I've heard that one for quite some time," she grumbled. "He told me he has PTSD."

"Amongst other things. He's not handling it well."

She leaned against the exam table tiredly, arms crossed and staring blankly at the wall. "He seemed okay until we got back here and found the party."

"Did he go to Luke's?"

Anna turned her head to find Tony watching her. "How'd you guess?"

"He usually goes there." He looked at his watch. "It's usually pretty dead around this time, but let me check in with Monica first."

They walked back to the ER's admitting area. Monica was writing on a chart and chatting with the nurses. Tony pulled her aside and spoke quietly to her for a moment while Anna waited nervously close to the door for him. She saw her friend nod to him and wave as he left her.

"Let's go," Tony said, walking past Anna and out of the hospital.

~*~

Luke was leaning on the bar talking to Frisco when Anna and Tony arrived. He straightened up and gave his former brother-in-law a slight nod before backing away, a move that was not unnoticed by Frisco.

Tony walked up behind his little brother, crossing his arms. He stood silently, not sure what to say.

"You just going to stand there all night, Tony?" Frisco asked not bothering to turn around.

Tony shook his head and exhaled sharply, unsurprised. "How'd you know I was standing here?"

"I heard you walk in. It couldn't have been anyone else."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're the last person I feel like dealing with right now, which of course makes you the first person to come find me, as usual," Frisco quipped. "Anna call you?"

"No, she came and woke me up at the hospital."

"She didn't need to do that." 

Tony glanced at the woman still standing next to him. "She's worried about you, Frisco."

"Just what I need. One more person to get on my back."

"We wouldn't be on your back if you'd pull yourself together."

"Oh, here it comes," Frisco said, rolling his eyes.

"Excuse me for being worried when I hear you're throwing stuff at your daughter."

Frisco closed his eyes. "I didn't mean to hit her," he whispered emotionally.

Anna rubbed his shoulders, quickly shooting a dirty look at his brother. "You didn't hit her. You just scared her. Scared me, too."

"You want to tell us what happened?" Tony asked.

"No," Frisco answered sharply.

His older brother just shook his head. "God, you sound like Dad sometimes." He turned his head to see his kid brother glaring at him, tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered well what their father could be like drunk and he knew how Frisco felt about him. Comparing them was exactly the wrong thing to do. "I didn't mean it like that..." he said, wishing he could take those words back.

Frisco felt like he'd been shot. To hear those words from Tony... "Then why did you say it?" he asked, pushing himself off the bar stool and falling to the floor. He picked himself up off the floor and stumbled over a chair. "I'm not him!" he screamed. "I am nothing like him! Don't compare me to _him_!"

Tony faced him, hands in the air, trying to placate him. "Calm down, Frisco," he said evenly.

"Why?" He picked up and threw a chair as hard a he could. "Why the fuck should I calm fucking down?" He threw another chair.

"That make you feel better? Tearing up the club?"

"So what if it does?" Frisco grabbed for another chair, but lost his footing and crashed to the floor. "I hate this! I hate feeling like this!" he sobbed, lying on the cold surface.

Tony, Anna and Luke watched in shock, no one knowing how to react. Tony slowly went to his side and sat next to him. He pulled Frisco to a sitting position, wrapping his arms around his little brother. Frisco resisted, pushing Tony away. "Let me go!" 

Anna waved Tony off, pulling up a chair near the two brothers. "Maxie wanted me to tell you she's sorry," she told Frisco.

"She's blaming herself, isn't she?"

"Pretty much."

"I didn't mean to do it," he replied quietly, avoiding eye contact.

Anna reached out to caress his face. "She knows that."

His frightened green eyes met hers. "I just couldn't stop it. I get so mad sometimes and I can't stop it, I can't hold it back. I don't even really know what happened. I just picked up whatever was closest and threw it. I didn't even see Maxie until she screamed..." he rambled on.

"Have you talked to Kevin about any of this?" Tony asked.

"No, not really," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know what to tell him."

"Well, what you just told us would be a good start."

"I'm so tired of dealing with all of this."

"Kevin said it would take time and you haven't been making things easy for him."

"It's just so hard, Tony. You have no idea..."

"I have a very good idea."

"He just keeps bringing up all this stuff that's dead and buried. And I don't want to go back through that stuff. It's pointless and it's over and it's pointless rehashing all that. I just want to get on with my life. Just start over, start fresh. I've tried to fix things but I'm just making a bigger mess of things..."

"Do you always ramble this much?" Luke asked from the bar, obviously having problems following the younger man's train of thought.

Frisco held his head in his hands. "Not usually, but I haven't been making sense since I stepped off the damn plane."

Tony stood up, trying to pull his brother up as he did. "Come on, kiddo. I think it's time for bed. You're getting all whiney and cranky."

"Would you mind not talking to me like I'm five?" he snapped irritably, standing on his own.

"I will when you stop acting like it," Tony said, walking towards the door, his back turned. Frisco mimicked his older brother and then stuck his tongue out. "I saw that," Tony called, not even turning around.

Frisco rolled his eyes, annoyed. "You have eyes in the back of your head or something?" He glanced at Anna and shook his head bewilderedly. "How does he do that?" he mumbled to no one in particular.

Tony turned around, smirking. "There are times, little brother, that you are so predictable. You have been sticking your tongue out at me behind my back since Mom starting leaving me in charge of you." He stepped closer to his brother and pinched his cheek. "Some things never change."

The agent pouted, crossing his arms. "Maybe not, but I'm armed now!" he shot back.

"No, you're not. You left the gun at home," Anna reminded him.

"That wasn't the point," Frisco grumbled.


	40. Chapter 40

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan. Not a long part, bu the next chapter should be done very soon. Rach & goblz - thank you as always! Famous99 - thank you for the critique! Glad you're enjoying the story! Re secretiveness, the WSB characters were secretive about it towards the begining, but by the time Frisco joined, pretty much everyone on the show knew all about the WSB, kinda like everyone pretty much knows about the mob now. Frisco only seemed to be secretive about what he did when he was hiding it from Felicia. Thanks! 

  
  


_I need some distraction  
Oh beautiful release  
Memory seeps from my veins  
Let me be empty  
And weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight_  


Sleep never came easy to Frisco, especially on nights like tonight. His conscience was still nagging at him. Despite being fairly inebriated, sleeping wasn't going to be an option. And with four other sleeping people in the house, one of whom was on the sofa, neither was blasting the stereo.

After they returned from Luke's, the kids were already in bed and asleep. Tony had stayed long enough to make sure he also went to bed and to give him another lecture on his drinking. As if he hadn't heard the story before. But Tony wouldn't be Tony if he wasn't overprotective and bossy. That was the big brother he'd always known. Kind of comforting in a way, but enormously maddening most of the time.

In their haste to clear out, the kids had left behind all the alcohol. They left some good stuff, too. He'd grabbed a bottle of vodka and sat down outside the back door. 

It was nice night out. Cool, but not chilly at all. He could see a few stars in the sky, hear the insects and far off sirens. The city actually seemed peaceful. But peaceful was the last thing Frisco felt.

He was wired, on edge. He just couldn't relax, like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

He was safe. He knew that. Well, his mind knew that. It was like the rest of him was waiting for the enemy to attack. The only way he knew to get rid of that feeling, to relax, was to keep drinking.

So he sat and drank, staring at his feet.

The longer he stared, the less he saw his own backyard. His bare feet were shackled together, forcibly held apart by a broken broom handle. His arms were tied tightly behind his back at his wrists, leaving his shoulders aching. His ankles and wrists were raw from the metal cuffs and ropes. He was too exhausted to even groan. They hadn't let him sleep in days. He must've cried or something because he heard soft whimper.

He sat still and silent. If he cried or moaned again, the guards might come back.

He heard the little whimper again. He knew he didn't make the sound this time. Another whimper, then he felt something soft rub against his feet. The shackles and the dirty cell disappeared. His arms were at his sides, the vodka bottle in one hand. And a little gray ball of fur was sniffing around his ankle. 

The kitten lifted its head and cried again. Frisco reached his hand out towards it, beckoning the kitten to come closer. It creeped to his hand slowly, sniffing his fingers and trying to stay as far away as possible. The kitten looked up at him again, crooking its head slightly and cried again.

"What do you want, you little furball?" he asked softly, scratching the animal's chin. "You hungry?" The cat's only answer was to start purring. Frisco couldn't help but grin a little. "You like that, huh?"

Frisco got up and went back into the house. He dug through the piles of mismatch dishes until he found a shallow bowl. He poured some milk and took the bowl back outside, setting it down near the curious kitten.

He watched the kitten hungrily lap up the milk as he continued to drink. At least it was something to think about.

A few minutes later, he heard someone moving around the kitchen. He glanced through the door and saw his oldest daughter rummaging through the refrigerator.

Maxie spotted him and walked onto the patio apprehensively, scaring the kitten off. "Hi, Dad," she said quietly.

"What are you doing up so late, sweetheart?"

"I couldn't sleep." She sat down next to him, sighing. "I'm sorry about the party," she told him quietly, pulling her legs closer to her body. "I know I shouldn't have had it, but I thought we'd have the house clean by the time you got home." She laid her head on her knees, looking at her father. "And I'm sorry about what I said. You were just trying to be honest," she said, rolling her eyes, "in your own rambling way. I'm sure someday you might be able to explain it in a way that actually makes sense." She lifted her head up and looked away again. "All you asked me to do was listen. I should've given you that much."

He brushed her hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. She flinched slightly when he touched her, which made his heart break. He was responsible for that. Guilt overwhelmed him. "I'm sorry about throwing the clock. I shouldn't have gotten so angry. I wasn't meaning to throw it at you..."

"I know, Dad," she said, glancing at him again.

"I shouldn't have picked it up at all. I'm so sorry."

She smiled halfheartedly. "So do we forgive each other?"

"Can you forgive me?" he asked, tears still in his eyes.

"Of course," she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Am I forgiven?"

Frisco kissed her cheek and hugged her tightly. "There was never anything to forgive."

"Does this mean I'm not grounded?" Maxie asked, smiling hopefully.

"Nice try."

~*~

Frisco sat on his floor, leaning against the sofa with Eric Clapton playing on the stereo. He was tiredly going through files he'd picked up earlier from his office, trying to catch up on all the work he'd missed while he was in Pine Valley. Over three hours he'd spent going through the reports and photos and surveillance, now he was ready to shoot Sean. He may have been Director, but he had no idea how to run a short staffed local base on a day-to-day basis. The files were half done and a mess. Maybe he'd give Frisco a big fat raise after this.

He flipped through the files again, looking for one in particular, but wasn't finding it. He looked through them a second time, making sure he hadn't missed it. It wasn't there. He grunted angrily, slamming the remaining files back down on the coffee table. 

"Problems?" Anna asked, sitting down on the sofa behind him.

"Ever have the urge to black box someone just for the hell of it?"

"A few times," she chuckled. "Why?"

"I've got an agent screwing around," he complained with a sigh. "He didn't turn in his report this week."

"Maybe it wasn't safe to come in," she speculated.

"We don't do that anymore unless there's physical evidence included. Everything's done electronically. We print them out at the office for the record, and agents verify what's in the file after the case is over. There's no reason for him not to get it done. Especially when I gave him an order right before I left that should've been carried out by now."

"I'm sure Sean made sure it was done."

Frisco frowned. "I forgot to tell him about it. It wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind at the time."

"So what has this guy been doing?" she asked curiously. "Or hasn't, in this case."

"He's undercover, that's all I'm going to tell you."

"You are not playing this need-to-know game with me!"

"He's in a precarious position..."

"I would never do anything to blow someone's cover!" She punched his shoulder. "You know that!"

"He's already under suspicion…"

"Frisco!"

"If he keeps going like he has been, I'll make him your problem. How's that?"

"I guess it'll have to do." She moved her legs to either side of his body and began massaging his shoulders. His head almost immediately dropped to his chest. "I think you could use a break."

"My stomach agrees with you."

"How about the Outback?" she suggested.

"Yes, I'd love to eat at a place owned by the ex-wife that hates me at the moment and her ex-husband who's always hated me," he replied, his sarcasm impossible to miss.

"Felicia doesn't hate you. She's just upset with you."

"So what else is new," he grumbled.

Frisco didn't see Anna check her watch. "Come on, we are going to the Outback," she said, getting up. She held out her hands to help him. "So forget those files and go get changed."

"Is that an order?"

"Yes, it is. Now get moving," she ordered, swatting his butt as he passed by her. She watched him disappear upstairs. As soon as he was gone, she grabbed the phone and quickly dialed a number, glancing back at the stairs. "It's me. He's changing now. We'll leave in about five minutes."

  



	41. Chapter 41

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips. Rach- thanks! Clapton... Well, that's what I get for writing during B&B. ;D I hate the way they're not giving Maxie any depth, 'cause she really is starting to act like Frisco. Good opportunity for a story, with or without Jack Wagner. Judith- thank you! I don't think AMC ever explained it and I'm not going to. But remember in this story, Sean's the director of the WSB, he knew the situation very well and he would never allow her to stay black boxed. Goblz- of course she tried to get out of being grounded, lol! Thanks! Famous99- thanks! Anna's up to something alright... ;)  


  
  


_Some day somebody's gonna make you want to  
Turn around and say goodbye  
Until then baby are you going to let them  
Hold you down and make you cry  
Don't you know?  
Don't you know things can change  
Things'll go your way  
If you hold on for one more day_

Anna was up to something and Frisco knew it. She was insistent, a little too insistent in his opinion, on going to the Outback, despite his continued protests. As they walked down the docks towards the club, he spotted Anna Donley running in front of them and into the club. Gut instinct told him Anna and Tiffany had something planned for him in there. The only question was what.

"What's going on?" he asked his friend suspiciously.

Anna tried to look innocent. "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that. You're up to something."

"What makes you think I'm up to something?" she asked innocently as she opened the door for him.

"I know you."

When Frisco walked into the club, there was a crowd of people waiting inside and clapping, a big "Happy Birthday" banner draped on one wall. About everyone Frisco knew in Port Charles and a few he didn't, with Tiffany, little Anna, Sean, Tony, Bobbie, and the girls were at the front of the group and just behind them Skye and Alexis on one side, Felicia on the other. He glanced at Anna out of the corner of his eye.

"Guess you were right," she said, stifling a laugh.

"Bitch," he muttered under his breath with embarrassed amusement as Tiffany rushed up to give him a hug and a kiss. 

"Happy birthday, darling!"

"Gee, how did I guess you were behind this?"

She grinned mischievously. "You know me too well."

Georgie quickly pushed the woman aside to give her father a hug. Frisco happily squeezed her back, spotting Maxie disappearing into the crowd. "Happy birthday, Dad!" she cheered.

"We were supposed to have this last night, but you weren't here," Skye told him, moving up to kiss him on the cheek as well. "Happy birthday," she added softly.

He smiled at his former wife. "Well, thank you," he replied softly, returning her kiss. 

"Okay, the man's finally here. Can we start the party now?" Lulu asked loudly, gesturing showily. 

He just looked at her and shook his head. "You are definitely Luke's kid," he snickered.

"Damn right!" Luke called proudly from the bar. "Well, you heard the girl, let's get this party started!"

"Can't argue with that," Frisco said, heading towards the bar. Music began blasting through the club as all the partygoers spread out and returned to their conversations.

Maxie stopped him before he'd moved more than a few feet. "Here," she said, handing him a cup. "I got you a drink."

He smiled. "Thanks, pumpkin."

"Can I get a minute with my little brother?" Tony asked, walking up and putting a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

"I bet you were in on this, too."

Tony just smiled and shrugged. "This is the first birthday you've actually been home for in a long time. I wanted to do something. Thought you could use a reminder of how many people around here care about you."

Frisco looked around the room. He spotted Jax and Brenda talking with the Quartermaines. "I don't know Blondie over there," he said, pointing to the group.

"Yes, you do. That's Skye's ex-husband."

"Haven't met him yet, actually." He noticed Skye standing near her family and her ex, looking noticeably sick. He smiled and waved to her. "Don't think I've ever actually met Brenda, either."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Must you take everything I say literally?" he asked in exasperation.

"Always," Frisco answered mockingly, his face completely serious.

"God, you are annoying," Tony sighed.

"So it's not just her?" Maxie asked hopefully, gesturing to her sister.

"Georgie's not nearly as bad as he was," Tony told her.

"I don't know. She's well versed in the blackmail trick," Frisco replied, winking at his youngest daughter.

"She hasn't blown anything up, she hasn't set her sister's room on fire repeatedly and she doesn't have a federal record yet. She has a long way to go to beat you."

"Excuse me?" both girls asked, looking between their father and uncle.

"Let's not give them any ideas," Frisco said, rubbing his neck embarrassedly. "And just for the record, you're wrong. I don't have a federal record, remember?"

"FBI still has a file with your name on it."

"Not anymore they don't," he snickered. 

Frisco spotted a familiar auburn-haired woman talking with Sean across the room. And it wasn't Skye or Bobbie. "I don't believe this," he muttered.

Tony turned to see what his brother was staring at. He glanced back towards Frisco. "I wonder who invited her."

"I'm going to kill Sean."

"You think he did it?"

"My medical unit is being rotated into combat next week. I bet Sean made sure I ended up with her, that bastard."

It was Tony's turn to snicker. "How nice for you."

"She can sleep on your sofa. She's not stepping foot in my house."

"Anybody I should know?" Maxie asked, watching her father and uncle's reaction to the woman.

The brothers both answered her at the same time. Frisco saying no, Tony saying yes. "No," Frisco insisted.

"That's our stepmother. We disagree on her," Tony explained, giving his brother a disapproving look.

"Why?"

Maxie could be so innocent sometimes, Frisco noticed. Mac was so good to the girls, the thought probably never occurred to them that not all stepparents were like him. Rita was the last thing Frisco wanted to deal with. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Does this mean you're not going to cause a scene, brother dear?"

"Would I do a thing like that?" Frisco asked distractedly, watching his stepmother turn and walk towards them.

"I seem to recall that's exactly what you did at your daughter's christening."

"Tony! Andy!" Rita greeted her stepsons cheerfully. 

"Rita," Frisco replied politely, while Tony hugged her.

"Wonderful to see you too, birthday boy." She turned to look at the girls. "You must be Georgie," she said to the younger girl. "And Maxie," she said, touching the older girl's face gently, "I haven't seen you since you were just a little baby!" 

"So you're our grandmother?" Maxie asked, glancing at her father unsurely.

"No!" he snapped. "She's… just Rita."

The nurse glared at him. "Since it's your birthday, I won't argue with you."

Frisco sighed. "I think I'm going to go save Skye from the barracudas." He walked away moodily.

"Well, he must be in a good mood," Rita said to Tony.

Maxie looked at her like she was nuts. "What makes you say that?"

"He was almost pleasant. Now who's Skye?"

~*~

"You look like you could use some saving," Frisco whispered in his former wife's ear from behind.

"Tell me about it," she whispered back bitterly, glancing around at her family, including Jason, who usually avoided Quartermaine gatherings. "We're hearing all about their wedding plans. Isn't that just wonderful?"

"Just as long as I'm not the only one being tortured."

"Oh yes, being hit on by some older, yet attractive woman is so terrible."

"I wasn't being hit on," he grumbled. "That's the stepmonster."

"Bet she's nicer than Monica."

"That's debatable, but hardly suitable birthday conversation. I'm supposed to be enjoying myself." 

She smirked, turning to face him. "I noticed you haven't spoken to the little woman yet."

Felicia. Another thing Frisco didn't care to deal with either. "Why don't we go to the bar and get so drunk we don't know which way is up," he suggested, earning him a smile from the redhead.

Without a word, she walked away from her family, following him through the club. "Avoiding the issue, are we?" she asked as they made their way to the bar.

"No, I haven't spoken to Felicia yet and I don't expect I'll do more than say hello to her. It's her turn to be the jealous one. She can watch me go on without her."

"I'm not sure that'll work anymore," Skye replied quietly, looking away.

Frisco leaned against the bar. "What makes you say that?"

"After everything I've done, Jax is still with that husband-stealing tramp," she told him with a sigh. "God, look at her! She's hardly looking at the man she's supposed to be marrying. She's too busy hitting Jason."

"There does seem to be a little unresolved sexual tension there," he snickered.

"A little? If she paws him much more, she'll have his clothes off."

"I always said Blondie was a jackass."

"Obviously. My lousy taste in men."

"Hey! What about me?"

"I was never madly in love with you."

"Good point," he said, grinning. He leaned closer to her. "Think of it this way, Skye. His idiocy frees you up to find a man that actually appreciates you."

She rolled her eyes cynically. "Frisco, you are the closest thing I've ever found to a man that appreciates me."

"Keep looking," he urged softly, barely brushing his lips across her cheek.

Their eyes met, a sympathetic understanding passing between them. "If you insist."

Frisco felt a tap on his shoulder, interrupting them. He turned his head to find Kevin standing behind him. "Frisco, can we talk?" the psychiatrist asked somberly.

Frisco sighed. He'd been waiting for Kevin to find him. "Sure."


	42. Chapter 42

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Faint" by Linkin Park. Rach and goblz- thank you!  


  


_I am a little bit of loneliness, a little bit of disregard  
Handful of complaints, but I can help the fact, that everybody can see these scars  
What I want you to want, what I want you to feel  
But it's like no matter what I do, I can't convince you, to just believe this is real_

"Tony called you, didn't he?" Frisco asked as soon as he and Kevin were alone in the club's office.

"You expected anything less from him?" Kevin asked lightheartedly. "You want to tell me what happened last night?"

"I was upset. Maxie seems to go out of her way to piss me off sometimes. I was already upset with her and I just lost it," Frisco told him. "How much did he tell you?"

"What you said at Luke's, what your friend Anna told him," Kevin answered. Frisco didn't reply. "He passed some of it off as you being drunk." Again, Frisco didn't reply. "How much was because of the alcohol?"

"In vino vertias. Isn't that saying?"

Kevin shrugged. "There is some truth in that, but it's not always true. And it doesn't usually apply to actions."

"Was I drunk when I threw the clock, that's what you're really asking. The answer is no."

"What was going through your mind?"

There was no sense in lying to him. Kevin was like Tony in that respect. If Frisco lied to him, he'd find out eventually. "My dad," the agent reluctantly admitted, sitting down. "I was remembering the rages he used to have when he drank. I turned around and did the same thing to my kid. And before you ask, that was what I was thinking about when Tony found me at Luke's."

Kevin sat in a nearby chair, letting the other man control the conversation. When Frisco didn't elaborate, he decided to push him. "Did those rages happen a lot when you were growing up?"

The agent rolled his eyes and sighed, slumping in the chair. "No offense Kevin, but I'm tired of talking about my childhood. It's not getting me anywhere."

Kevin shook his head at his patient. "I think you are the most obstinate patient I've ever had. Do you know why all this stuff is coming back up? Why you're remembering all these things?" The answer he received was only silence. "Because you haven't dealt with any of it. You just pushed all it away, dismissed it as if it were nothing."

"So?" Frisco asked moodily.

"Those memories, those experiences, they weren't nothing. They've crept back up sometimes and your mind didn't know how to handle it, so you tried to push it away again or tried to run so far away you wouldn't have to remember. Only there's so much built up now that you can't push any of it away and you can't run from it anymore."

"I'm dealing with all of it."

"You're trying to."

"What do you mean trying to?" Frisco snapped, raising his voice. "What the hell have I been doing twice a week for months now?"

"Trying. Answering my questions. But you still don't believe in what I'm doing. You're still looking for the quick fix, for me to wave a magic wand and just make it all go away. But that's not the way it works. You're going to have to deal with the memories as they come up. You're going to have to face some very ugly facts about your life. Not only about what you've gone through with the WSB, but about your childhood as well. Everything you've avoiding dealing with is coming back and there's nothing you can do to stop it."

Frisco leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, letting Kevin's words sink in. "I'm beginning to feel like I'm dying."

That statement concerned the psychiatrist. "Why?"

"My life flashing before my eyes," he replied, sniggering.

"Well, I guess you could look at it like that. As dying in a way."

"Dying?"

"Your old self, your old way of thinking is going to die in the healing process."

He rubbed his face in annoyance. "Well, I'm sick of the healing process."

"It's just going to take time," Kevin reminded him. "I keep telling you that. In your case, a long time. You went through more in a few months than most of my patients have in a lifetime. And you're going to have to trust me."

"It was flashback," Frisco said quietly, glancing at the doctor.

"What was?"

"What I was remembering about Dad. I think it was a flashback."

"Were you still aware of your surroundings?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"It wasn't a flashback then," Kevin said, shrugging. "Just repressed memories surfacing."

"I had one in Pine Valley, at the crime scene. Think I had one early this morning, too."

"At another crime scene?"

"Yeah. I tried to do all that relaxation stuff we've been working on, but it didn't work." Before Kevin could bring up taking a leave again, Frisco cut that thought off. "I know it's not a good thing, but I don't need a break."

"Well, I won't argue with you. You know what I think. What happened?"

"The whole thing just reminded me of the prison in Iraq."

"And this morning?"

"Palestine."

"There wasn't anything in your files about being in prison there," Kevin said, confused.

Frisco finally looked at him again. The memory of his only Palestinian mission wasn't one that really ever bothered him. Especially not after some of the other failed missions he'd been on. "I wasn't. Mission went wrong, some of us were taken prisoner, but we were rescued after two days. Really wasn't that bad. They spent the two days interrogating us one by one. There was about ten of us, so we just ended up alone for most of the time."

"How long ago did this happen?"

"It was before Iraq, so '96 or '97," he answered. "It wasn't bad, Kevin. Really. It wasn't any worse than what the WSB put recruits through in training."

"It's the way you remembered it. A memory that doesn't bother you shouldn't come back as a flashback."

"It wasn't bad. I was sitting in the patio and suddenly I was back in that cell, all tied up. That was it."

"It still concerns me."

Frisco rolled his eyes, frowning. He really didn't feel like being interrogated at that moment. "Kevin, can we talk about this later? I'm supposed to be having fun."

Kevin smiled in response. "Consider it a birthday present."

"Well, that's a sucky present."

~*~

As Frisco re-entered the main room of the club, he immediately ran into Liz, with Ric not far behind her. "Hey, Elizabeth."

"Happy birthday," she said, smiling and giving him a hug. "Sorry I'm late. I just got off work."

Frisco shook his head amusedly. "Work, work, work. All you ever do is work. You're going to turn in to me pretty soon."

Liz glanced to where Courtney was standing with the Quartermaines, draped on Jason's arm. "Well, somebody has to be there to actually wait on customers. You'll be happy to know I've been promoted."

"Oh yeah?"

"Bobbie officially made me manager this afternoon," she told him proudly.

"Congratulations, Liz! That's great!"

Ric had barely made eye contact with his boss, much less greeted him. "I need to talk to Jason," he said, walking away quickly.

Frisco just watched him leave. He didn't even need to ask. Those bugs weren't in place. He could tell by the way Ric wouldn't look at him. If there was anybody in this town Frisco wanted to beat down, that person was now Ric Lansing.

Liz, on the other hand, looked disappointed as her boyfriend left. She turned back to her father's friend, smiling only slightly. "We're going to need a new waitress soon," she told him. "Would Maxie be interested in a job?"

Frisco glanced at Courtney, then back at Liz. "You're not going to…" he started suspiciously, knowing the animosity between the two young women.

She chuckled, grinning smugly. "Bobbie and I talked about it a little while ago. I wasn't supposed to be late, I had tonight off, but Courtney decided being at Jason's beck and call was more important than her job. So I was left to hold down the fort while she enjoyed your party here, despite the fact she barely knows you and wasn't invited."

"And Bobbie wasn't happy about that, huh?"

"Nope. She invited me and she didn't think it was fair that Courtney just up and left knowing I was supposed to be off tonight to come here. I will enjoy firing her," she admitted, lacking any remorse.

"I bet." He noticed the bandage on her upper arm. "What happened?" he asked, touching the edge of the bandage.

She glanced at it, frowning. "It's just a scratch."

"Must be a pretty bad scratch."

"It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing."

"It's nothing," she reiterated.

He crossed his arms. Elizabeth was beginning to remind him of Maxie when she didn't want to tell him something, usually because she knew it would upset him. "If it's nothing, why won't you tell me what happened?"

Liz threw hands up frustratedly. "You're worse than my dad, Frisco!"

"Hey, I've got to use my paternal instincts somewhere since Maxie won't let be her father most of the time," he argued.

"How did I get appointed substitute?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

He shrugged, smiling amusedly. "You're the only one I see on a continuous basis young enough for the position."

"Oh joy," she replied, rolling her eyes and hiding a grin. "Remind me to thank your daughter."

"Well, you going to tell me what happened or do I have to find out on my own?"

"I was shot," she said reluctantly. "It's just a graze. It's fine. Bobbie doesn't think it'll even scar." He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could ask how. "Don't give me any more lectures about Ric. It wasn't his fault. Somebody tried to kill him."

"What were you two doing?"

"He had to take care of something, he asked me to go along. We interrupted a break in at Sonny's warehouse."

Frisco narrowed his eyes, not intending on giving away his suspicions. "He took you to the warehouse? Why?" If what he was thinking was true, Lansing was a dead man.

"He said he had to take care of something. That's all I know," she answered, somewhat dismissively. Too dismissively for Frisco's taste.

"As long as you're okay," he said, touching her shoulder tenderly, bothered by the situation.

Liz smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I'm fine, Frisco, but I appreciate your concern."

"Mind if I interrupt?" Alexis asked cheerfully, joining the two.

"Actually, you can have him, Alexis," Liz said. "I think I'm going to go find my boyfriend." She walked away, heading for the last place they'd seen Ric.

Alexis and Frisco watched the young woman leave. "I didn't mean to run her off," Alexis said, grimacing slightly in guilt.

"You didn't," he assured her. "I think she was trying to avoid a lecture from me about getting involved with mobsters."

"You were going to lecture her?" she asked disapprovingly.

"No, but I'm sure she thought I would. I'd rather lecture him right now."

"I could give her a nice long lecture on the subject."

"So could I," he said quietly, remembering Duke Lavery. "I lost a friend years ago, while I was still a cop, to the mob while he was in the witness protection program."

Alexis put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Sonny?"

"No, Duke had been pretty high up in the Jerome organization," he told her. "I think their territory is Sonny's now, but they were all long dead before he came to town."

"How would the police commissioner have reacted to know you were socializing with the mob?" 

"One chief was married to him and the other was working with him." Frisco chuckled. "Anna left the force shortly after they married, then her ex-husband became commissioner. He was pretty friendly with Duke as well. And poor old Burt died in prison a few years ago."

"So the PCPD was friendly with the mob at one point?" she asked disbelievingly.

"No, just Duke," he replied, shaking his head. "He wanted to get out of the mob, Anna and Robin were the incentives for him to do it. He turned on his bosses, even helped me out while I was undercover. He saved my skin a couple times."

"Sounds like he was a good guy."

"He was a great guy."

"Alexis!" They turned to see Jax approach them, Brenda on his arm. The young man placed a friendly peck on Alexis's cheek, much to Frisco's chagrin. Skye's ex wasn't someone he'd particularly wanted to socialize with.

Brenda held out her hand to Frisco, a big grin on her face. "Hi," she said. "Thought we'd come over and introduce ourselves. I'm Brenda and this is Jax. Robin has told us so much about you. She talked about you all the time. I feel like I know you already."

Frisco reluctantly shook her hand. "Uh, thanks Brenda," he replied, devoid of any emotion.

"I meant to stop by and finally meet you before today, but that day at the courthouse has been the only time I've seen you around."

"What can I say?" he replied, shrugging. "I've been really busy."

"And not really social, from what I've heard," she said, sounding like she was scolding him. "I totally understand. We've been so wrapped up with all the wedding details. It seems like I'm always on the run sometimes." She rolled her eyes in happy annoyance, then touched his arm. "You know, you should come by Club 101 some time. Jax owns the place. It's great, lots of good music."

"Drinks on the house, of course," Jax added. "Any friend of Alexis's or Robin's, you know."

Another ex of an ex with a night club. How many of these was he going to collect? "I might do that," Frisco answered, not wanting to be rude. He wasn't one to turn down free drinks, either. Glancing around, he spotted Ric stepping out of the club. He wasn't going to let him get away without saying something to him. "If you'll excuse me, I have to take care of something."

  



	43. Chapter 43

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Fear" by Bon Jovi. Rach and goblz- thanks!

_I see you looking over your shoulder  
Tell me who do you think's out there  
You're reaching for your four leaf clover  
But baby there ain't no luck down there_

"Lansing," Frisco called, following his agent outside to the docks.

"What is it, Jones?" Ric replied and turned to face his boss, clearly annoyed.

"If I were you, I'd drop the attitude," Frisco growled.

"I apologize, sir," the younger agent said, suspiciously polite. "What is it that you want from me?"

Frisco put his hands on his hips, resisting the urge to hit him. "I want you to stay away from Elizabeth Webber."

The look on Ric's face was one of shock. "You can't make demands on my personal life, Jones."

"I don't want to see her get caught up in some mob war. End it before things get any more serious. I don't want her hurt again."

Ric smiled. "Or what? You'll push me off a balcony?" he asked smugly.

The older agent glared at him icily. "You don't want to know what I'm capable of."

"You can't control me, Jones, and you can't control Liz. If we want to see each other, we will. There's nothing you can do to stop us."

With that, Ric walked away. Which way, Frisco didn't bother to notice. He'd show the dumbass what he could do. He wasn't going to allow a sweet girl like Liz to be hurt by the likes of Lansing.

"What was that about?"

Frisco spun around at the sound of the distrustful voice behind him. Jason Morgan had followed him, holding a small box in his hands. "It's personal," the agent told him. 

"Personal how?"

"I'm just looking out for Elizabeth, if you must know. I don't want to see her get hurt. That guy's not worth it."

Jason seemed to accept that answer. It was the truth, he was looking out for Liz, but there was more to the animosity than the young man could know. 

Jason glanced down at the package in his hands. "Sonny asked me to give you this," he said, handing it to the agent.

"What's this?"

"Some information. One of our guys got into the warehouse and was able to get a look at what your group has been holding on to. There's some vials in there. We're not sure what they are."

"My people can figure it out. Are they sealed?"

"I don't know. Sonny just asked me to give it to you."

Frisco opened the box slowly. A folded up piece of paper lay on top. He only glanced at the paper as he removed it, some sort of handwritten report. A couple of digital prints obviously from inside the warehouse, very nice. Below the pictures were the vials. He took one out, inspecting it closely. It looked sealed, not the job of someone who had just broken in, and had a label affixed to the glass tube. The label was in Arabic, but the words weren't ones he knew. If he had to guess, the roots looked scientific. A thought that scared him more than anything else. Chemical, biological, the substances could be almost anything.

"Any idea what could be in there?"

"I need to interrogate the man that got inside," Frisco told him authoritatively, still examining the box's contents and ignoring Jason's question.

"I don't think Sonny will agree to that."

"Just tell him to make the arrangements. I'll go wherever he wants to meet and he can be present, but he has to keep his mouth shut."

"Again, I don't think Sonny will agree to that," Jason repeated firmly.

Frisco looked up at the young man. "I wasn't asking. He can either do it my way or I will drag in every one of his men that I can find, starting with you," he warned. "Almost anything could be in these vials."

"I'll give him the message."

"Thank you," Frisco said, pulling out his cell phone. Just as he began to dial, Rita stepped outside, moving aside for Jason as he went back to the party.

"I was wondering where you ran off to," she said, startling him. "Why are you hiding out here?"

"I'm not hiding," he answered defensively. "I was taking care of some business."

"Still always business with you, huh?"

"It wasn't intentional. Something came up." He glanced down at the box in his hands, then back at her. "Have you been to the base yet?"

"Sean showed me around yesterday." She glanced at the box. "Why?" she asked skeptically.

"I need you to take this back," he told her, taking out the papers and handing her the box. "I don't know what's in them. Have the lab get started on the testing."

She opened the box, perusing its contents. "Trying to get rid of me?"

"No, you just saved me a phone call and you know how to handle dangerous substances."

"Fine," Rita said with a sigh. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Don't bother," Frisco mumbled, watching her walk towards the WSB base.

~*~

Tony and Kevin sat at a table, alone. Tony needed to vent about his brother. Frisco's mental state worried him more than anything else. He needed help and Tony felt powerless to help him. "He's going to be drunk before too long," he complained.

"I figured as much," Kevin replied with a soft sigh. "That's part of being an alcoholic. He doesn't know when or how to stop."

"I don't know how to help him, Kevin."

"Just be there for him, Tony. That's all you can do. This is Frisco's fight. He has to do this on his own."

"I know that. My head knows that. But I can't just sit back and watch him destroy his life." Tony put his head in his hands despondently. "He's my little brother, Kevin. I've always looked out for him, tried to keep him from getting into too much trouble. It's difficult for me to just sit back and do nothing when he's like this."

"If it makes you feel better, I have no doubts he's eventually going to get through this and he'll be the stronger for it."

"You're sure he's going to be okay?" the neurologist asked, concerned. "All I see is someone who's only hurting himself."

"He's a difficult patient, I won't deny that. He is going to get worse." Kevin frowned. "A lot worse, I'm guessing."

Tony groaned. "How much worse?"

"Can't say exactly," Kevin answered, shrugging. "I wouldn't be surprised if he'll have to be hospitalized before it's all over."

"How long is that going to be?"

"A while. He has a lot built up that he needs to let out, but he's still fighting it. I'm just trying to get through all the defense mechanisms he's put up." By Tony's deflated expression, Kevin could see this clearly wasn't what the man wanted to hear. "Tony, you've been through this process. You know how long it can take to recover and you were a willing patient. Your brother is belligerent, impatient and distrustful. Getting anything useful out of him right now is like pulling teeth with tweezers. He has ten times the emotional trauma built up that you did. He saw more in that house than you did, I'm certain of it. He has seen more combat than most soldiers ever will in an entire career. Whatever happened to him as a child, he never learned how to cope. He only knows how to run away. He can't let anyone get close to him for fear of being hurt. Those are things he learned at a very early age. Dealing with that when it's been compounded exponentially by the life he's built for himself is going to be tough, for everyone." His answer didn't comfort the other man any. "I'm trying to push him as far as I can, letting him continue working even though it's counterproductive to therapy, but it's just going to take time, Tony. Once he hits bottom, he'll start getting better."

"Pushing him? It's been awhile since my psych rotation, but isn't that just going to make him worse?"

"Breaking him down is the only way I know to help him. He won't let me in, Tony. Not enough to really do any good. And he won't let out the memories and emotions that are eating him alive unless he's forced to. He needs to be pushed."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Good luck forcing my brother to do anything. He's about as pigheaded as they come."

~*~

Anna came out of the club, looking for Frisco. "There you are! I've been looking for you!"

He had just watched his stepmother disappear into the distance and was still staring that direction, the contents of the vials still on his mind. "Is this 'make sure Frisco doesn't spend five seconds alone' night?" he asked with a sigh, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"It's a party, Frisco. The least you could do is be social. You were very rude to Brenda and Jax," she scolded him.

He threw up his hands in defeat. "I had something I had to deal with! Geez!"

"Like what?"

Frisco rubbed his forehead frustratedly. This was the Anna that had been on his back worse than his brother ever was, usually with Robert's help. If there was one thing he hadn't lacked while Anna and Robert were around, it was parental guidance. They'd taken that task upon themselves. "I could swear I just had this conversation only a minute ago," he said, closing his eyes momentarily.

"With who?"

He rolled his eyes. "Rita. I had to send her back to the base."

"Why?"

Frisco glanced around. "We'll talk about it when we get back home, alright? I don't want to divulge details out here."

"Okay," she replied, slight put off. "Well, Miss Georgie demands that you come inside now. It's time for cake and presents."

He smiled, imagining his young daughter barking orders at the adults around her, especially Anna and Sean. "Cake _and_ presents? You guys went all out."

"When was the last time you were home for your birthday?" she asked incredulously. "The way everyone has been acting, I'm guessing Robert and I were still around then." Frisco didn't respond. "By the way, beware of cute little girls bearing packages."

"What did Georgie and Lulu do now?" he asked quietly, sounding suspicious and slightly fearful.

The look of fear brought a grin to the brunette's face. "I'm not quite sure. Felicia was giggling about it. She said their present was good."

He groaned. "I'm afraid to even ask."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, Frisco! They're just little girls!"

"You don't know Georgie and Lulu," Frisco told her, opening the door. "Georgie seems to have her parents' ability to find trouble without difficulty and Lulu's a little, female version of Luke."

"Oh dear…" Anna sighed, her voice trailing off as they went back inside.


	44. Chapter 44

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Call And Answer" by Barenaked Ladies. Getting back to the WSB next chapter! :) Rach, goblz and Miaka- thanks!  


  


_You think  
I only think about you when we're both in the same room  
I'm only here to witness the remains of love exhumed  
You think  
We're here to play a game of who loves more than whom_

Frisco sat in the chair that Georgie had ordered him into. In the middle of the room, of course, where everyone could see him as if he was on display. A couple tables were pushed together, one of which was covered with gifts. Mostly small stuff, but it was heartwarming all the same. He could help smiling. Everyone gathered around, some pulling up chairs. The lights dimmed and Mac emerged from the kitchen, carrying a large cake. The fact that it was Mac with the cake surprised the agent. The two men barely got along, although he had to admit he would've done the same for the Aussie, just to please the girls. He'd have to remember this when Mac's birthday rolled around.

Frisco rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to cover his ears when the room broke out into a completely off-key rendition of "Happy Birthday". It was a nice touch, but he thought most of these people shouldn't ever be allowed to sing in public, especially Luke after he'd had a few drinks.

The cake was set down in front of him and he waited for the singing to stop. "I appreciate the thought," he said amidst cheers, shaking his head, "but please don't ever do that again."

"What, you don't appreciate our singing?" Luke asked offendedly.

"Not yours!"

"Sorry, we're not all musical geniuses like you!"

"Blow out the candles, Dad!" Georgie ordered as Lulu elbowed her father. Frisco did what he was told, glancing at the two girls standing next to him as he made his wish, and to his relief, none of them lit up again. The younger girl immediately attacked the presents, picking the largest gift off the floor as Mac moved the cake to another table to cut it. She looked for a tag on the long rectangular box to see who the gift was from.

"It's from Alexis and I," Skye said, saving Georgie from looking any further.

Frisco ripped off the wrapping paper and put the box on the table. He lifted the lid and smiled excitedly. It was a Gibson Les Paul, like one he'd pointed out to Skye in Vegas while they were still married. He fingers brushed the surface reverently, his lips slowly turning to a surprised smile. He looked up at his former wife. "You remembered," he said softly, bewildered. 

Skye shared a satisfied smile with Alexis. "We thought you might like a new guitar since the other one's taken a bit of a beating."

"And it's beginning to sound awful."

"This does come with a condition though," Alexis told him. "You have to play for me sometime."

"No problem," he agreed happily, softly plucking the strings.

Lulu threw him another gift. "Open my dad's next."

Whatever it was, it wasn't boxed and in true Luke Spencer fashion, it had been wrapped in newspaper. Comics, to be exact. He could feel the packaging through the paper, but couldn't tell exactly what it was. "Okay," he said slowly, looking suspiciously at his friend as he unwrapped the gift. He snorted when the paper was gone. A water gun. According to the label, there were supposed to be two and one was missing. "Where's my other gun, Luke?"

Luke grinned, giving Frisco reason to be suspicious. "Someplace safe."

"Use it on me and I'll throw your ass in the harbor."

~*~

Frisco was almost through the pile of presents. Mostly gag gifts, but as his mother would tell him, it was the thought that counted. He really did appreciate that so many went to the trouble to get him something at all... Now he had an arsenal of water guns, as if there was nothing else in all of Port Charles to get him. He wondered whose idea that had been. His first suspect would have to be Anna Donely. That sweet little girl could be as devious as her mother and her namesake sometimes.

"Georgie, where is yours?" he asked as he watched his daughter look through the remaining three presents once again. 

She grinned mischievously. "I'm saving the best for last."

"Hand it over."

"No, just wait!"

"Hand it over now."

"Okay," she said pouting, reluctantly putting the box in front of him. 

It was neatly wrapped in nice paper, meaning Georgie didn't do it herself and didn't have any help from Luke and Lulu. He carefully unwrapped it, unsure of what he'd find. He lifted the lid and the tissue paper inside. When he saw what was underneath the tissue, he blinked unbelievingly. There was no way she found it. It was out of print, had been for years and years, and they hadn't exactly been popular to begin with...

He blinked again. God, the hair, that outfit... What the hell had he been thinking? He picked up the old album. An actual record, not a tape or cd. He smiled. She really put some effort into this.

"I can't believe you found this, Georgie," he told her, definitely impressed and embarrassed. Remembering his singing career was one thing, being faced with his early '80s pop music, his lacking fashion sense especially, was incredibly awkward now. He laughed nervously and put the record back in the box quickly. "This is so... special. Thank you." 

"Mine next," Maxie said happily, handing him the heavy box she'd wrapped her gift in.

Frisco gave his oldest daughter a regretful smile. After everything, he didn't deserve her forgiveness. But she'd forgiven him, for last night anyway. The rest of her life was another story entirely.

"Open it, Dad," she urged, biting her lip uncertainly.

He opened the box. Inside was a book. He picked it up and found another underneath it.

"They're first editions. I found them on eBay."

Frisco snorted and shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "'You Only Live Twice' and 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. Are these supposed to a hint, Maxie?" he asked amusedly.

She shrugged, a sly grin on her face, reminding him of her mother. "Maybe."

"How'd you know I liked Ian Fleming?"

"I didn't. I just guessed. You, James Bond..."

"Well, thank you."

The last present was Felicia's. Frisco tore off the gift wrap carefully. It was two framed pictures, both of him and the girls. One was more like a collage of snapshots of the few moments Frisco had been around for. Maxie's birth, a couple birthdays and holidays, Maxie's heart transplant and BJ's death. The other was a nice portrait of the three of them Tony had taken a few weeks ago. He touched the glass tenderly, his eyes suddenly burning. "Tha… Thank you," he replied quietly. "I appreciate this."

She tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled, a wistful smile that melted his heart. God help him, he still loved her with every fiber of his being.

"Okay, I think it's time for cake!" Tiffany announced, jumping up to start passing out plates.

With cake being distributed throughout the room, Frisco no longer felt on display. He stayed in his seat, not feeling like getting into that crowd and knowing Tiffany would save him a piece. Maxie stayed next to him as well.

"Why those two books?" he asked her.

"The titles," she answered uncertainly. "Did you really like them? I wasn't sure if you would and I didn't really know what to get you..." 

"I like them. It's just kind of odd you gave me those two books."

"Why?"

"I used to read the Ian Fleming books when I was a kid. My mom was big on reading. Supposed to increase intelligence or something like that. She gave me those two books for my birthday. My eleventh birthday." He licked his lips, his mother's face as she gave him the books fresh in his mind. "Thirty years ago yesterday."

She sighed disappointedly. "So you already have them."

"No," he said, shaking his head. "They stayed in my room when I left home. I don't know what Dad and Rita did with all my stuff, so I don't have them now."

"Why? Didn't you take your stuff with you?" she asked, confused. 

He'd taken little more than the clothes on his back and a few pictures of his mother. But the circumstances of his leaving was the last thing he wanted to think about. "We'll talk about it another time, sweetheart."

"Okay. I'm, um, going to get some cake."

Frisco watched her walk away, playfully hitting her little sister. Georgie may have looked like him, but Maxie acted like him. Paying for your raising, his mother would say. "I get the hint, Mom," he whispered.

~*~

Felicia hesitantly sat next to Frisco and hugged her ex-husband. It was the first time they'd even touched in weeks. "Has it been a happy birthday?" she softly asked.

"Very," he replied, smiling. "I really did appreciate the pictures, Felicia."

"Well, the girls said you didn't have any recent pictures…"

"They're very nice." He chuckled nervously. "I kinda wish Georgie had given me this instead of…"

"Your band's old album with that lovely picture on the cover?" she finished for him, not hiding her amusement.

"Where on earth did she dig that up from?" he asked, practically groaning, and shook his head.

"She had a lot of help from Lulu."

Frisco sighed. "And Luke probably knew where to find at least one copy."

"She probably just called Blackie and asked."

He rolled his eyes. "Remind me to thank him."

"I thought it was sweet!"

"It was embarrassing!"

"Hey, you thought you were pretty hot stuff back then, Mister!"

"Yeah, well, I was an idiot!"

Felicia rolled her eyes. "You still are!"

"So are you!" Frisco shot back.

~*~

Anna and Tiffany watched their friends from across the room.

"So what do you think?" Tiffany drawled.

"Definitely still crazy about each other," Anna said decisively. 

"What'd you get out of Frisco?"

"He's dating and she's jealous."

"She's dating too, you know."

Anna nodded. "He told me about Ned."

"The way Felicia talked when we had lunch yesterday, it sounds pretty serious."

"That's not going to down well with Frisco."

"He handled Mac pretty well."

"He also wasn't around to see it. You remember how he reacted to Colton."

"I don't think he'll be repeating that. He's given up."

"Given up or trying to make her jealous?"

Anna grinned mischievously. "What do you think?"

Tiffany took another glance at Frisco and Felicia. "I think he's going to need a little backup on this one."

~*~

Kevin laughed with his wife at Mac's joke. With as busy as both their lives were in recent months, time with his old friend was limited. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see who it was. An attractive auburn-haired woman was standing behind him, an envelope in her hand.

"Are you Kevin Collins?" she asked, slightly anxiously.

"Yes, I am."

The woman relaxed a little. "I'm Rita Lloyd. Frisco's..."

"Stepmother," he finished for her. "He told me you were here."

"I'm sure stepmother is not the word he used," she replied, rolling her eyes knowingly. "I was wondering if I could see you for just a moment?"

"Sure." He turned back to Lucy and Mac. "Be right back."

Rita led him back outside to the docks. "I'm sorry for just interrupting like that, Dr. Collins."

"You can call me Kevin and it's alright. What did you want to see me about?"

She handed him the rather thick envelope. "I don't think Andy's ready to know any of this, but I thought you should. It will probably explain a lot."

"What is this?" 

"Andrew's records."

He opened the envelope and glanced at the files. "There was something like this in Frisco's WSB file. But I thought he was in a hospital."

"He was," Rita told him, concern in her eyes. "What's in those two files, Tony doesn't even know. Andrew was embarrassed about it, he never told the boys. It took a lot just for him to admit it to himself. I thought about telling Andy, but that's liable to get me shot on sight."

"You're right," Kevin agreed. "He's not ready for this, but thank you for giving this to me. I think this will go a long way towards helping him when he is ready."

~*~

"So I hear you're my date for the Nurse's Ball," Frisco said, joining Alexis at a table. He flashed her a lopsided boyish grin.

Alexis looked at him, her face full of guilt. "I know I told Skye I would, but something's come up..."

His face fell. "Oh no, you're not ditching me, too!"

"I'm sure you can find someone else..."

"Like who? I know a handful of people in this town, Alexis."

"You've been here for months now," she reminded him.

"Besides you, Luke and Skye, everyone I spend time with is either family or someone I work with," he replied uncomfortably. "I haven't exactly been social."

She sighed, pushing her hair out of her face. "The thing is, Stefan's coming to town that day and he asked me to go with him. He's not going to have time to find another date..."

Frisco's jaw dropped. "I'm not getting ditched for another loser brother that can't find a date for himself!"

"Stefan is not AJ!" she argued defensively. "He could've found his own date if he had been coming in sooner!"

The thought suddenly occurred to him that Anna would probably like to go, after hearing about the Ball from Robin and Mac. She wouldn't have a date either... "You know, my friend Anna probably would like to go and she would needs a date. I'm sure Stefan would like her," he said suggestively.

"I thought you said you couldn't find another date."

"As much as I love Anna, I was kinda looking forward to spending the evening with you."

"With the added benefit of making Felicia and Ned jealous, of course."

Frisco chuckled nervously. "Skye told you about that, huh?"

"She thought I needed to know since I had to see them before you were coming back. I have to say, it wasn't the reaction I'd expect from Felicia."

"Tell me about it," he sighed. "I've known her for twenty years and didn't see that one coming."

Alexis leaned in close to him. "You want to get out of here?"

Frisco grinned mischievously. "They're watching us again, aren't they?"

"Always," she answered with satisfaction. "My place?"

"What about Kristina?"

"She should be dead to the world by now."

"She sleeping through the night yet?" he asked cautiously.

"Not quite. I'm hoping she will soon." She sighed tiredly. "Not sure I can't take the lack of sleep much longer."

"I kinda liked getting up with Maxie, so I could sing her to sleep."

She snickered, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't you as being..."

"That helpful?" he finished for her. "When Maxie was a baby, I was a househusband for awhile. I was the one that got up with her so Felicia could sleep and be well-rested for work."

"You stayed at home? Now I really can't see you doing that."

"I swear. Did laundry, did housework, took care of Maxie, watched soap operas..." Alexis broke out laughing. "Laugh it up, but you don't have any idea how addicting those things can get. I still watch them since All My Problems repeats on cable in the middle of the night now."

She laughed even harder. "The badass super spy is a soap opera addict!"

Frisco rolled his eyes. "I bet you have Backstreet Boys cd hidden somewhere near your stereo."

"Eww, no!"

"Okay, David Cassidy then."

Alexis shivered disgustedly. "Oh god, never! I hated him!"

"Then who is it? And don't deny it. I'll break in and find that cd you won't admit you have."

"It's not a cd, it's a tape," she admitted reluctantly. "There was this band I liked years ago. I had a slight crush on the drummer, at least until he went to jail for manslaughter."

Frisco froze. No, it couldn't be... What were the odds... "Whatever happened to this band?" he asked unsurely.

"I don't really know what happened to Blackie & The Riff Raff. Probably still running around town, since Blackie was the only one I'd ever recognize."

"You're kidding me! I was the lead singer!"

"I was wondering why your daughter would've given you a Riff Raff LP," she giggled.

"Now you know." Frisco laughed embarrassedly. "I can't believe you still listen to us!"

"Is Blackie still as cute as he was back then?"

He glared at her. "I'm not answering that question."

"Can you at least give his number? I'd love to go to the Nurse's Ball with him," she teased.

"Stefan can have you," Frisco said sulkily, offended. "I don't want you now."

"I'm sure I can change your mind," Alexis whispered seductively.

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"Guess you'll just have to come back to my place to find out."

Frisco smiled conspiratorially "Let's blow this joint."


	45. Chapter 45

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Leaving's Not Leaving" by Leann Rimes and the other song is "Baby Mine" by Bette Midler from the movie Beaches. Rach- thanks! Lol, glad you liked that gift! ;) 

Frisco woke to the sounds of Maxie crying. Felicia would be getting up for work soon. He decided to stay home after Robert fired him, he was supposed to take care of the baby. He felt his wife stir next to him, the bed dipping as she sat up.

"I'll get her, princess," he mumbled sleepily into the pillow. "I'm getting up."

"Don't worry about it," she replied amusedly, patting his shoulder. But the voice wasn't Felicia's.

He pulled himself up to his elbows and looked around. He was laying on his stomach, but he didn't recognize the room. He heard the feminine voice again. Alexis.

He got out of bed and put his shorts and jeans back on. He walked into the next room, where Alexis was feeding Kristina with a bottle. "Morning," he said, leaning against the doorframe with a small smile.

Alexis chuckled, looking up at him from the rocking chair she was sitting in. "Awake now?"

"Yeah," he answered, smiling embarrassedly. "For some reason, every time I wake up with a baby crying, I think it's Maxie."

"That's what I guessed. I almost took you up on it. Would've been nice to sleep a little late for once."

Frisco smiled again, but didn't answer her. He just watched the two, envying their contentment in such a simple act. Those moments with Maxie were the only times since he was a child that he'd felt truly happy. Nothing had seemed to matter when his daughter was in his arms. He still felt that way with the girls, at least when Maxie let him play Dad.

"You want to sing her to sleep?" she asked, glancing at him. "Something tells me she'd like you better. I'm a terrible singer."

He moved closer, taking a seat on the floor next to the rocking chair. "Any requests?" 

"How about something I haven't heard before."

"Well, that narrows it down."

Alexis put the bottle down as Kristina pushed it away. "You decide." She put the baby to her shoulder and patted her back.

"You really know how to put a guy on the spot!"

"Just sing," she said, Kristina interrupting them with a burp.

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes," he sang softly as Alexis rocked, holding her daughter in her arms. "Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine." 

Frisco reached out to touch the little face with a gentle finger, his thoughts turning to his own daughters. "Little one, when you play, pay no heed what they say. Let your eyes sparkle and shine, never a tear, baby of mine."

Kristina's dark eyes fluttered as she fought off sleep. "If they knew all about you, they'd end up loving you, too. All those same people who scold you, what they'd give just for the right to hold you."

It was a losing battle for the tiny girl. She was asleep before Frisco got the last verse of the short song. "From your hair down to your toes, you're not much, goodness knows. But, you're so precious to me, sweet as can be, baby of mine."

Frisco looked up to find Alexis watching him. "That was beautiful," she whispered.

He brushed the hair from her forehead. "Saw it in a movie once."

Alexis stood up and up laid Kristina back in her crib. Frisco went back to the bedroom, grabbing the rest of his clothes. He glanced back at her when he heard her come into the room. "I should go."

"You don't have to. It's still early," she replied, laying back on the bed and watching him pull on his t-shirt and slipping on his sneakers.

He leaned over the bed and gave her a quick kiss. "I'll see you on Saturday."

"Can't take me out before that?"

"'Fraid not," he replied, shaking his head. "Skye and Lucy have in rehearsals every night."

"I don't envy you. Just don't offer to help, especially with the decorating."

Frisco rolled his eyes, remembering the stories he'd heard about Lucy and the Nurse's Ball. "Thanks for the warning."

~*~

Frisco took a drink from his water bottle as he walked over to the punching bag. He liked working out this early. No one was ever around this early, the base was practically empty. No pressures, he could think clearly and vent some of the anger and frustration building inside him. Keeping in shape and sharp with his martial arts skills had been a necessity when he was in the Middle East, but it was something he'd been lax on in recent months unfortunately, especially since returning to Port Charles. 

He took an offensive position and kicked the bag, putting as much force as he could. The bag swung around, loosely chained to the floor, and he repeated the move. Again. And again. And again until he was out of breath. Felicia, Maxie, Tony, Kevin, Skye, Lucy, Sean, Tiffany, Ned, Mac, Lansing, Sonny, Rita, his bastard father... Every kick, every punch was bolstered by the helpless frustration that was taking over, controlling him. 

The WSB psychiatrist had told him this sort of thing would be good for him. Kevin had pretty much said the same thing, that he needed to find a way to vent his emotions. Well, this was the only way he knew and it wasn't helping him at all. It never had. Sure, he usually felt better afterwards, but the emotions never went away. They just kept building and building.

He threw a punch at the bag and missed. He grabbed the bag as he fell. He closed his eyes, panting. Maybe he should've just stayed gone. He couldn't take much more.

~*~

Anna was sitting on the sofa, having a cup of coffee with Tiffany and Felicia when Frisco arrived home, still sweaty from his workout. The three women had been reminiscing about old times. The moment Frisco walked in, all three stopped talking, immediately putting him on edge. Three sets of eyes were on him as he made his way through the room.

"Good morning ladies," he said politely to them, smiling nervously.

"Have a nice night?" Anna asked, glancing conspiratorially at Tiffany.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," he replied. "I'm, um, going to take a shower."

"What? Was Alexis's broken?" Felicia sneered jealously.

"Gee, it's so nice having you in _my_ home, Felicia. How's your boyfriend Ned again?" Felicia didn't answer him, didn't even look at him. "Thought so," he said tiredly. "I have to get ready for work."

"What time are we supposed to be there, boss man?" Anna asked.

"Whenever I fucking feel like it!" he yelled from upstairs. "That's the glory of being in charge!" Once in his bedroom, he kicked the door closed behind him. He stripped off his clothes, leaving them in a trail along the floor as he walked the short distance to the bathroom.

He stepped into the shower and turned on the water, ignoring the sting of the hot water pounding on his skin. He stood there for a few minutes and just let the water flow over his body, the warmth loosening his tense muscles.

"Frisco?" Anna asked, opening the door but staying in the doorway.

Her voice surprised him. He hadn't heard the door and didn't expect anyone to invade his bathroom. "Yes?" he said as annoyed as possible, just to make sure she knew the intrusion was unwelcome.

"You don't have to be so rude," she scolded. "I was just coming up to tell you Sean set up a meeting at eight. He wants us to brief the others on what we found in Pine Valley."

"He's already been briefed!" the younger agent whined.

"He said he wants us to brief everyone else, whoever everyone else is."

"Probably him, Mac, Scott, Sam and Taggart."

"Who's Taggart?"

"One of Mac's detectives," he told her.

"So what was going on that you didn't want to tell me about last night?" she asked, much to his displeasure. 

"Anna, I'm trying to take a shower. We'll talk about this later."

"You said you'd tell me when we got home," she reminded him, "but you left with what's-her-name."

"Alexis. And I will tell you at the base. I promise."

"Fine."

Frisco heard the door close and he sighed. He loved Anna, but he'd never had to live with her before. This was going to be interesting.

~*~

"Oh wow," Anna exclaimed as Frisco led her into the main warehouse. He decided to take her through the ground level storage area, before heading downstairs to his office. "This is nice."

"You should see the offices. They're really nice."

"What else do you have here?"

"Forensics labs, a medical unit..."

"Which is where Rita comes into the picture, I assume."

"Yes," he replied, annoyed. "Remind me to thank Sean for that."

"What else?"

"Uh, armory, vehicles, computers, hackers and analysts. This place is state of the art, everything's brand new."

Anna shook her head in amazement. "Last time I lived here, I don't the WSB had an office in Port Charles."

"Yeah, the local office thing is new. Really our biggest duty is keeping agents in the area supplied. There aren't a whole lot of field agents operating out of here, but I'm in control of most of the investigations in the region. Everything except organized crime and counter-terrorism, unless it originates out of here of course."

"I thought you were the local terrorism expert."

"I am. The head of counter-terrorism is pretty territorial. I don't work for him, so he doesn't like me knowing what they're up to. The way Port Charles is getting used as smuggling hub, he's forced to deal with me." Frisco flashed her a sly grin. "Besides, Sean thinks I know more than Berkley, so he tells me everything anyway."

She smiled at him. A lot had changed in ten years, with the WSB and Frisco. "Your job doesn't sound too bad to me."

"Do you remember what Sean's like when he's in charge?"

"He wasn't that bad," she said, shrugging, "but that was a lifetime ago. He's getting on your nerves, I take it?"

"And he just won't leave. Or give me more agents."

"I'll complain after I've had some time to visit with him," she chuckled. "So where's my office?"

"Who said you get an office?" he teased crossing his arms in mock seriousness. "I was just going to throw you out in the field."

She rolled her eyes. "That's hilarious, Frisco. So mature."

"Lighten up, Anna! It was just a joke."

"Sorry, I'm just sort of nervous," she said with a sigh, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Why?" he asked, confused. "It's not like you're a rookie."

"It's been a long time, Frisco."

"The rules are basically the same." Frisco glanced at his watch. "I'll take you by your office later. We have a meeting to get to."

Anna checked her own watch. "The meeting's not for a half hour."

"Not that meeting."

  



	46. Chapter 46

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Secret Agent" by Air Supply. A few hints revealed... ;)  
  


_Well I've got friends in the states  
And I've got friends out in space  
When information's your game  
The whole world knows your name  
And so they gave me a code  
To work this treacherous road  
For all the agents I know  
Must work incognito_

Frisco stormed into his office, Anna following behind him. Ric Lansing stood in front of Frisco's desk, holding one of the pictures in his hands. Yet another strike against him as far as Frisco was concerned. Those pictures were his most prized possessions. _Nobody_ touched them.

"Put it down, Lansing," he ordered.

"Sorry, sir," Ric replied sheepishly, putting the picture frame down.

"Touch them again and I'll black box you."

"Understood, sir."

"This is Agent Devane," he said, gesturing to Anna. He sat down behind his desk, immediately leaning back in his chair, and glared at Ric. "I went over the weekly reports yesterday."

"I'm sorry, sir. I was unable to finish mine. With the break in, Corinthos has had everyone running around like mad."

He glared at the agent before replying. "Are you telling me you couldn't spare a few minutes to tell me you carried out your orders?" he asked skeptically.

"No, I couldn't and I haven't been able..."

"You didn't get it done," Frisco finished for him, his voice low and calm, laced with anger.

"No, sir."

"This is your last chance, Agent Lansing." Frisco stood, leaning over with his weight on his hands on the desk. "Screw up again and I will feed you to the dogs."

Ric gulped. "I understand."

"Good. Now get out of my office."

They watched Ric high tail it out of the room, Frisco sighing as soon as the door closed. Anna took a seat across from him, watching her former protégé with interest. "Is there a reason you wanted me to witness that?" she asked warily.

A knock saved Frisco from answering. "Come in," he said to the person on the other side.

Taggart walked in, closing the door behind him. "Was that Ric Lansing I passed out there?" he asked incredulously, hope in his slight smile.

Frisco's only answer was a sly smile. "You're right on time, Detective." Anna smiled at the detective. "Anna, this is Marcus Taggart. Taggart, this is Anna Devane, our newest agent."

The two shook hands. "It's nice to finally meet you," Taggart told her. "I've heard a lot about you from Mac and Sam."

"Don't believe everything they tell you," she said amusedly.

"Don't worry, it was all good." He looked at Frisco. "So why did you ask me to come by early?"

"Ric Lansing, actually," the agent answered, sitting back down. "What I tell you cannot leave this room, is that understood?"

Taggart shrugged. "Sure."

"You can't even tell Mac. If he questions you, just tell him you're helping me. And do not say a word to Baldwin."

The detective raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Does this involve Sonny Corinthos?"

Frisco smirked. "I thought you might enjoy this assignment."

Anna's eyes darted between the two. "Someone want to tell me what's going on?"

He smirked. "Agent Lansing is currently employed as council for everyone's favorite mob boss."

"I knew that guy was up to something!" Taggart cheered proudly.

"Good for you," Frisco chuckled. "Agent Lansing is also not getting his job done. So far, the penthouse and the warehouse have not been bugged yet."

"How long has he been on the case?" she asked.

"Seven months."

"And he hasn't gotten a few bugs in yet?" Taggart asked in disbelief. "Even I know that's one of the first things that should be done."

"Most people would put bugs at the top of the list, thanks to spy movies," Frisco griped, rolling his eyes. "Infiltration is more important in an undercover operation, but he has had plenty of time to get the bugs planted. And he knows damn well that if he couldn't do it without risking his cover, to ask for another agent to do it. His ego's getting in the way."

"You're one to talk about ego," Anna replied.

"I may have an ego, but I don't let it jeopardize a case." He looked at Anna, then Taggart. "Care to learn about cutting edge surveillance devices?"

"I've planted bugs before and I'm sure Anna has as well," Taggart said.

"Ever planted a bug that disintegrates itself?" Frisco asked slyly, leaning closer to the detective.

"No such thing."

He opened a drawer and pulled out a small black box, opening it where the other two could see. Sitting on foam inside the box was a transmitter and several bugging devices encased in round translucent material, the size of round band-aids. "They're made of biological material designed to disintegrate in a certain amount of time. The circuits simply fall off after and are usually lost before anyone notices them. These last up to 48 hours. They can affix to anything, including skin. Handy little things."

"Can I look at one of those?" Taggart asked in wonder.

The agent handed him the box. "Taking them off the foam triggers it and it starts decomposing. The foam has some sort of protective coating on it."

"What's this? A receiver?"

"A transmitter. We use a software receiver. Each bug is encoded with an identification code. Each code is recorded when the unit is checked out and is transmitted when the bug is triggered. When the circuit detaches from the biological component, it resends the ID code and deactivates itself. When each of the bugs is deactivated, the transmitter self-destructs."

"How?" Anna asked curiously as Taggart handed her the box.

"It's programmed to up the voltage to a point where it overheats and catches fire. The casing is fireproof to be sure that the fire doesn't unintentionally spread."

"What a clever little device," she mumbled, examining the bugs.

"I told you we had cooler tools," he replied, grinning.

Taggart sat in the chair next to Anna's. "What's my part in this?"

"I want you to help me plant these. When the nanny has the night off, I'll have Mac arrest Sonny and Jason, I'll distract Lansing. After everyone is gone, we enter and plant the bugs in both penthouses."

"How do you plan to avoid the guards?" 

"Not going to use the front door," Frisco told him like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Corinthos's security is nothing. It won't be a problem."

"You ever tried to break into a place like his before? The whole floor is locked down."

"I've spent most of my career dealing with paranoid terrorists, so what I'm used to is a lot tougher than anything he could throw at me."

"The secret entrance should still be there, right?" Anna added.

"Secret entrance?" Taggart repeated in confusion.

Frisco nodded. "Sean Donely lived there for several years. Robert Scorpio too, if I remember correctly. The place used to have a special entrance and a hidden room. Don't know if that stuff is still there after it was rebuilt. Last time I went there, I just used the patio. The lock on the door was a joke. I was watching TV when he and Carly got home."

"Oh man, I wish I could've seen the look on his face!"

The agent chuckled. "Oh, it was good. He just couldn't believe it. I would've laughed it hadn't been business."

"So what about me?" Anna asked.

"You're going to set up the receiver."

She pouted slightly. "Why does he get the fun job?"

"Because all you need is a quick overview on how it install one of these. You've already been trained in the art of breaking and entering and listening device placement. He hasn't. However, the receiving software is new to you and you need to know it backwards and forwards."

"Why do I need to know it? Don't we get printed transcripts anymore?"

"Not unless you request one. We gotta save a few trees, you know." She wasn't buying that response. "Paper builds up and is easy to lose. We try to avoid paper copies when possible." He ran a hand through his hair. "Remember when I told you if I had any more problems with Lansing, I'd make him your problem? Well, I've had it with him. You're shadowing him on this case. Not sure how much he's going to turn over now, but I think we can get Corinthos's organization on the surveillance. Who knows what we'll pick up from the bugs and I have no doubt Echelon will have a wealth of back information on him."

"Is the interface the same?"

"Not exactly. The organization is same, though. Won't take you too long to figure it out. All the raw A/V can be accessed through the receiver software. That's why I said you needed to know it."

Sean knocked on the door and walked in, not waiting for Frisco to answer. The younger agent just rolled his eyes and pointed to the war room door. Sean stepped further into the room to allow Mac, Sam and Scott to pass him.

Anna smiled at the group, but stayed with business. "When was the last time Echelon was checked?" she asked, pulling Frisco's attention back to her.

"Hell if I know," he grumbled. "I doubt he's done that either."

Taggart looked confusedly between the two agents. "Excuse me. What's Echelon?"

Frisco looked to his boss for approval before answering. "The ultimate surveillance system. The US, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia set up a global system to monitor enemy telecommunications during the Cold War. In the time since, it's expanded exponentially. Almost every phone call, fax, email, satellite signal, anything that's transmitted electronically in the world is recorded by Echelon."

"Remind me never to use my cell phone again."

"The operators only deal with marked targets. The rest is archived and largely ignored. Just a bunch of data stored under a phone number or IP address. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Why don't we have access to this?" Scott asked, sounding offended.

Frisco rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply. "You'd never get anything gathered from Echelon past the fourth amendment. Any competent defense attorney would have a field day with it. And that's assuming the NSA would violate their security policies and let you look through the system."

Sean ushered the group into the war room while Anna and Frisco gathered the files. Inside the room, Frisco set one set of files in front of Mac and Sam and put the other set with the rest of the case file on a corner table. 

"So what's the latest, Jones?" Scott asked impatiently.

"The latest is Anna here. She has rejoined the WSB and will working out of this office." Sean shared a proud smile with his former protégé, the woman with whom he'd shared so much. Sam quickly jumped up to embrace her former boss and friend. Even Scott gave her his own congratulations. Mac was the only one who looked upset at the news. Frisco continued. "She is also the new Agent-In-Charge on this case."

"Two big cases," Taggart said teasingly. "Not bad for a half hour's work."

Anna glared at Frisco. "Is this my punishment for being gone so long, Sean?" she asked her old friend.

"Nah, just Frisco being lazy as usual," the older agent joked.

"Of course. How silly of me."

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Just remember, I know where you sleep, Anna."

"I don't think Georgie would appreciate you dirtying her room."

"I don't thing Georgie would ever know about it."

"Can we get back to the case?" Mac interjected, annoyance in his voice.

Frisco grabbed the file from in front of him and spread the crime scene photos across the table. Sean, Mac and Anna didn't look at the photos, the memories of the scene fresh in their minds. Scott looked at the photo closest to him and he quickly pushed it away, his face paling. Sam's hand inadvertently covered her mouth as she examined the gruesome photos. 

"My god," was Taggart's only reaction.

A photo caught Sam's eye. She picked it up, looking closer. "Montoya?" she asked, looking into her former partner's eyes. "He's finally dead?

"I'm not sure even he deserved what they did to him," Frisco replied softly. 

"I don't know if I agree with that. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that worthless piece of scum is in hell, that's for sure."

"I didn't figure you or Pedro would be crying over him."

Sean grabbed a photo of Montoya and tacked it to the board with the others. "Six victims so far," he said contemplatively.

"Seven," Frisco corrected him. "There were three sets of body parts in the field. Vic 7 hasn't been identified yet. Prints weren't in the main system, lab's working on the DNA."

Mac sighed. "Did we get anything useful this time?"

Frisco and Anna glanced at each other. "Orchids were left at the scene," Frisco told them. "That's how Maria found it."

Mac slammed his fist on the table angrily, but Sean showed no emotion, which both agents knew was not a good sign. "Why didn't we see them while Mac and I were there?" he asked guardedly.

"Maria thought they were from her husband. She didn't find out they weren't until later. She just didn't think to mention it when I questioned her at the scene," she explained.

"Then how did you find out?" Scott asked. 

"She brought them to Frisco when he questioned her. It's in her statement," she answered.

"Print lab is working with them at the moment," Frisco added.

"Can you get prints from flowers?" the district attorney asked, glancing at Mac.

"The lead tech tells me they have a method she thinks is going to work. She's going to test it a couple more times before examining the orchids, just to be sure." Frisco bit his lip anxiously. "She's not sure there's any prints to find, though. I agree with her."

"So what do the orchids get us?"

"Faison," four voices answered.

Scott and Taggart shared a confused look. "Why do I get the feeling me and Taggart here at being left out? What's the deal with the orchids?"

"Faison," Anna answered, closing her eyes. "He used to give me orchids, like a calling card."

"So these murders are definitely the work of Cesar Faison?" he asked sympathetically. 

"Looks that way," Frisco admitted. "That's why I don't think there's any prints on the orchids. He knows better."

Sam dropped her head into her hands. "So basically we're nowhere. We can only guess that it's Faison, but that's it. We still don't have any idea why he's doing this or what he wants."

"What about that Echelon system you were talking about a little while ago?" Taggart asked. "Maybe we could get something from that."

"Faison is already a target. Anyone connected to him is under constant observation."

"When anything comes up, the operators are under orders to contact Sean's office immediately," Frisco added. "So far nothing's turned up."

"Where do we go from here? What can we do?" Sam asked, glancing back through the photos.

"Wait for Vic 7 to be identified, see what we can dig up on Montoya's activities. I doubt the orchids will get us anything." Frisco sighed, frowning. "There's not much we can do."

Mac looked up at Frisco. "What about the badges? Any prints on those?"

"Hell no," he scoffed. "Everything's been a fucking forensic vacuum."

"Have we got anything on Montoya yet?" Sam asked quietly.

"Yes and no," Sean answered. "According to our sources, whatever he was doing, it wasn't for the DVX. They haven't any contact with him in months."

"How reliable is that?" Taggart asked, glancing over some of the reports.

"Reliable." 

"But it may not mean much. Montoya was known to freelance," Mac added.

Everyone in the room looked at the commissioner. Frisco watched Mac's uncomfortable reaction. As the realization hit him, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. "You've worked with him," he said accusingly.

"Once, years ago," Mac admitted reluctantly. He sighed under the other man's suspicious glare. "It was _years_ ago, Frisco!"

"Then how do you know he's still a merc?"

The Aussie's jaw set. "I don't," he said.

Frisco didn't buy it, but he decided to confront the man later, privately. "Well, I guess that helps," he said coolly, his eyes never leaving Mac. 

This was the key, he knew it. He just _knew_ if they found who Montoya was working for, they'd find the killer. There was no doubt in his mind that Mac knew more than he was telling. And Frisco's first question was why he hadn't mentioned knowing the victim a week ago.


	47. Chapter 47

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Hang On To Your Ego" by The Beach Boys.  
  


_  
They come on like they're peaceful  
But inside they're so uptight  
They trip through the day  
And waste all their thoughts at night_

Skye was tapping her foot impatiently, her legs crossed, when Frisco arrived at the Port Charles Grille. He took a deep breath after he spotted her. He was late and she was angry. He rushed over to her table. "I'm sorry for being late," he apologized promptly, frowning.

Her jaw set unhappily. "You should be. I've been waiting 30 minutes for you. Or am I the only who cares about our performance?" 

"Of course I care! I couldn't get away on time. I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes, huffing irritably in the process. "You keep blowing me off for your job! The Ball is on Saturday and we've hardly rehearsed together, Frisco!"

He shrugged. "We'll be fine, I'm sure. Besides, who's going to notice anything lacking in our performance when half those loud, off-key voices at my birthday party are also singing."

"No one's expecting _them_ to sound good. We're pros and most of the town knows it. They expect _us_ to be good."

"We'll be fine, Skye," he assured her confidently. 

"Only if we rehearse," she replied, smiling coolly.

"Well, I'm not here for the Grille's cuisine, am I?"

"Let's go," Skye told him, sighing as she stood. "Lucy should be done by now."

"Done with what?" Frisco asked, following her out of the Grille.

"Driving the volunteers mad, of course."

~*~

Skye led Frisco into the Versaille Room. Tables were spread around, but not all were set up yet. Decorations were piled in the middle of the room, minus any flowers. Lucy was directing workers as they put several crystal chandeliers in place. 

"No, no, no! That's too far!" she screeched to the groaning workers.

Frisco watched her former sister-in-law in wonder. "She does this every year?"

"You can see why Amy ends up quitting halfway through the show," Skye told him amusedly.

"No, that goes over there!" Lucy shouted, turning her attention to another set of volunteers moving a statue around.

He shook his head. "Hell with quitting, I'd just shoot her."

Skye patted him on the back. "Then check your gun at the door, Mr. Bond."

He looked at her as if she'd slapped him. "She is not in charge of our act."

"Lucy has the final say so on all the acts."

"I am not taking direction from her."

"Don't worry, I think she'll be too busy directing the poor souls doomed to decoration duty."

He looked around the room. "You know what this looks like?"

"Yep. That's why she bumped us up to the last act. We lead into the Nurse's Chorus Line that closes the show every year."

He turned his head to look at her. "Last act?" he asked unsurely.

She grinned mischievously. "Did I forget to mention that when I told you we needed to rehearse?"

"Uh, yeah."

Lucy finally noticed them. "Frisco! Skye!" she cried, rushing up to them excitedly. "I've been waiting for you two!"

"That can't be a good sign," Frisco whispered.

Skye elbowed him. "You know Frisco. Just can't tear him away from the bad guys," she said, sighing teasingly.

"He's always been difficult like that," Lucy chuckled. "I wanted to watch you rehearse, see how you're doing."

The redhead leaned closer to her. "Save yourself the headache. You don't want to watch us."

Lucy's smile disappeared. "Why not?"

"We're nowhere near ready."

The panic was blaringly obvious on Lucy's face. "Oh goodness, no! The Ball is Saturday!"

"We'll be ready by then, I swear," Frisco said, trying to reassure her.

"Yes!" Skye agreed. "He's the only part that really needs work." She glared at him. "The rest of us have been _rehearsing_, not working 20 hours a day."

"Well, by all means, Frisco, let's get to work!" Lucy said hurriedly. "There's so much that we need to do!"

"Lucy, why don't you let us handle this and you worry everything else, alright?"

"Oh, come on, Frisco! This is the show's big number and you know how much the Nurse's Ball means to me..." Her eyes darted away as she thought. "Actually, no, you don't know, you haven't been around for the Ball..."

"I have a pretty good idea. Don't worry, Luce. I'll be ready in time," he promised, flashing her a disarming grin.

She reluctantly smirked, crossing her arms. "Alright, Frisco. I'll trust you, but if you screw up..."

"Warning accepted," he replied. "Can I go rehearse now?" 

"Of course, of course!" Lucy turned around and spotted the chandelier guys again. "No! That's not the right spot!" she cried, rushing over to them again.

Frisco just shook his head as he and Skye walked to the stage. Geez, that woman was nuts.

~*~

Frisco walked in to Luke's and headed back to the office. He stopped by the bar and got himself a drink first, of course. "Hey Luke," he said, strolling into the office.

Luke looked up from the paperwork he'd been working on. "Secret agent man, what brings you around?"

Frisco shrugged and took a seat across from his friend. "Thought I'd stop by and say hello."

"Uh-huh," Luke mumbled, unconvinced. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, exactly..."

"I knew it."

"I just wanted to apologize for the other night," he said, sighing. "Anger, alcohol and me don't seem to mix."

"Anger and alcohol don't mix with anyone." The older man shrugged. "You didn't do any damage, nothing to be sorry for."

"I really am sorry for wrecking the place, Luke."

"No, you're not. If you were sorry, you wouldn't have that drink in your hand." Frisco silently looked down at the glass he held tightly. Luke leaned back in his chair and frowned. "Hell, I'm not one to talk. It's not like you ever drink alone here. I'm just as bad."

"Why aren't you home with Lulu?"

"She's spending the night with Nik," he said softly. "I have no idea where Lucky is. Probably at Wyndemere too, knowing my luck."

"So you're just hiding out back here all alone."

"What about you, Frisco? Don't tell me you came here just to apologize for something that happens almost every weekend."

Frisco shrugged, sipping his drink. "Killing time. I have a meeting in a little while."

"You left Anna alone?"

"No," he chuckled, shaking his head. "She had dinner with the Quartermaines, minus one."

"Who weaseled out?"

"Skye. She laid claim on my time every night this week so we can be ready for Nurse's Ball. I spent all evening being directed, yelled at, scolded, corrected, twisted, turned, yanked, dragged..."

"Luce'll kill ya if you screw it up, you know."

"So I've been warned," Frisco snickered. "Does she go this nuts _every_ year?"

"You know Lucy."

"I don't know how Kevin can live with her."

"Wonder how Felicia took you leaving with Alexis last night," Luke said, changing the subject.

Frisco smirked, remembering that morning's incident. "Let's put it this way, Felicia jealous is not a pretty sight."

Luke laughed. "She go nuts again or something?"

"She was snippy again when I saw her this morning," the younger man told him. "It's beginning to make me think she's getting it from Ned, too. She doesn't get crazy like this over Skye."

"Well, this is a new position for her," Luke reminded him.

"Yeah," Frisco snorted. "She's never had to share me before." He glanced at his watch. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

~*~

Frisco made himself comfortable on the rock ledge in the catacombs that had been his bad at one point. The old, lumpy mattress and smelly blanket were still there and some poor soul was still using it, although no one was around when he entered the dark underground tunnels.

"It's been a long time," a soft, accented voice said. A woman, shoulder length blonde hair, dressed in all black, struggled walking on the rocky floor in her high heels. "You didn't let me know I needed to dress for the rocky terrain."

He grinned, but made no move to help her. "Good to see you, Nikita. What's your name this time?"

"Faith Roscoe," she told him, shedding all traces of her Quebecois accent. French Canadian but Russian by birth, Nikita Melnikov was one of Frisco's first partners in the WSB. They'd remained friends, despite the distance their careers put between them. "Heard you're in charge of the office here. The Five Families are all up in arms about it. Something about you going after Corinthos. They're worried about him making a deal."

Mob paranoia, what a laugh. "Not exactly true," he said amusedly. "No deals that'll save him anyway, but one of my undercover agents is actually the reason I called you." He looked into her eyes, wanting his request to not be misunderstood. "I want you to distract him."

"You want me to distract a working agent?" she asked in disbelief. "Is he playing both sides?"

"No," Frisco answered, shaking his head. "He's involved with a girl I care about and I don't want to see her get hurt. Neither of them is listening to me and frankly, he's pissing me off."

A slight sly smirk appeared at the corners of her mouth. "So this isn't an approved op."

"No, it's a favor to me."

Nikita nodded thoughtfully. "What do I get out of it?"

Frisco thought for a moment, crossing his arms. "My eternal gratitude."

"But what does that get me, ami?" she asked playfully.

He pouted exaggeratedly, trying to look as pathetic as possible. "S'il te plait?"

She shook her head at him. "I just have to distract him until his girlfriend finds out, right?"

"Uh huh," he said, nodding. "She's been cheated on before. I'm pretty sure she'll kick him to the curb."

She chuckled, shaking her hair away from her face. "Since when did you start meddling in people's lives?"

Frisco shrugged. "She's Jeff Webber's kid and I like her. She's already been shot in the line of duty and he was the one on duty that night."

"Who is he?"

"Ric Lansing."

"Corinthos' counsel?" she asked, surprised. She smiled at him, impressed. "Very sharp, Frisco." 

"I'd be happier if he was getting his job done," he scoffed. "I just had to put a shadow on him."

"Quelle dommage." She kissed his cheek. " Consider it done. Au revoir, mon ami," she said, leaving with as much difficultly as when she came in.

"Thanks, Nik!" Frisco said as she left, waiting to put some space between them. He knew how persuasive Nikita could be, he was sure Lansing would fall for it. He just had to hope Liz wouldn't kill him for this.

  



	48. Chapter 48

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Desperately" by Michelle Branch. Rach- thank you as always! :)  
  


_  
There's something 'bout the way  
You looked at me  
Made me think for a moment that  
Maybe we were meant to be  
Living our lives separately  
And It's strange that things change  
But__ not me wanting you so desperately_

Frisco groaned as he looked at the numbers on the computer screen. He was going over expense reports, a very boring job, and the figures on one report just were not adding up. It was a terrorism case that had just been moved underneath him. Sean had figured since most of the case work was being done in Port Charles, it should be based out of the Port Charles, thus under Frisco's control. Berkley had thrown a fit about it, but Sean had made up his mind. The case files had arrived that morning and were a complete mess, totally disorganized. He wouldn't have put it past Berkley to deliberately rearrange the files, just to make his job a little harder. Richard Berkley was just that much of an ass.

But it wasn't the files giving Frisco trouble. It was the expense reports. Expenditures that weren't approved, cash going nowhere, purchases unaccounted for, payoffs to people not listed anywhere in the op reports, and just plain old bad addition. Mistakes Berkley would've been blind not to notice, but for some reason he didn't.

Maybe there was a reason Berkley didn't want to hand over this case.

A knock on the door distracted Frisco. "Come in," he said, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Hi, Andy," Rita said cheerily as she walked in, eliciting another groan from her stepson. 

"Do I need to go shoot someone so you have something to do?" he said, glaring at her.

She held up the paper bag in her hand. "I brought you lunch. Tuna melt from Kelly's." Frisco's stomach chose that moment to audibly remind him that he hadn't eaten since early that morning. She grinned. "I seem to have perfect timing."

"Thank you," he replied grudgingly.

She took a seat across from him and handed him his sandwich and fries. "How's it going?" she asked, taking her own sandwich out of the bag.

"Frustrating," he admitted.

"That murder case?" she asked. 

He froze and looked up suspiciously at her. "How did you know about that?"

"It's all over headquarters. Come on, five agents were brutally murdered. You can't really expect that the gossips at HQ wouldn't talk about it."

He sighed. She had a point. Word of the dead agents would've made it to Boston by now, especially with Sean still in Port Charles and not at headquarters. "Anything going around that I should know about?"

"Sean might be bringing in Tom Hardy," she told him indifferently.

"Tom?" he asked, wrinkling his forehead in confusion. "I thought Tom was still doing the Doctors Without Borders thing in Africa?"

"Don't know," she replied, shrugging, "that's just what I heard."

He thought for a moment. Why would Sean ever consider something like that? "Why would he bring in Tom?"

"He's a psychiatrist."

"With no training in profiling," he told her. "Plus, he hasn't practiced in years. He's been on the medical side for awhile now." He shook his head. "Kevin would make more sense."

"How are things going with Kevin?" Rita asked cautiously.

"Why do you want to know?" he sneered.

"I care, Andy. How many times do I have keep telling you that? I just want to know if things are getting any better for you."

"I'm doing just fine, Rita," he said defensively. "I've got plenty of other people looking out for my emotional well being, I don't need you too."

She rolled her eyes. "You can be so difficult sometimes," she said, sighing.

"Then I guess I was named after the right person."

"You can say that again." He shot her a dirty look. "What?" Rita asked, shrugging. "You want me to disagree with you?"

Frisco just rolled his eyes and ate his lunch in silence, conveniently ignoring his stepmother.

~*~

Frisco walked into the house, his mind still on Berkley. He just didn't understand how a man with Berkley's experience could miss errors that blatant. He heard someone move and a shadow in the middle of the room. He pulled his gun and cocked. He aimed as he reached for the light switch.

As light filled the room, he saw the one thing he didn't want to see. Kyle rushing to pull his pants up as Maxie covered herself with her shirt. 

Frisco lowered his weapon and covered his eyes, groaning in anger.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Dad!" Maxie stammered, mortified.

"Kyle, get out of here," he ordered. "Now."

The young man nodded and hurried out, looking anything but sorry. In fact, Frisco thought the kid looked pretty satisfied with himself. His hand tightened on gun, resisting the urge to use it to wipe the smug smirk off his face.

"Maxie..." he said with a sigh as soon as the door closed behind Kyle.

"I know, I know, I know. I'm grounded," she said, trying to wiggle back into her clothes without flashing her father.

"How nice of you to remember."

"No radio, no TV, no Internet and I stayed in the house," she said hopefully. He stared at her, not buying her argument. "I just wanted to see him and Mom wouldn't let me."

"For good reason," he scoffed.

"I love him, Dad!" the girl protested.

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He could feel a tension headache coming on already. And he hadn't even dealt with Lucy yet. He gestured for her to sit back down, as he sat next to her. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why do you love Kyle?"

She struggled with an answer. "He loves me," she answered unsurely. "Why do you love Mom?"

He sighed. "She's the other half of my soul," he admitted. "But Kyle treats you like crap, sweetie. Why do you love him?"

"He doesn't treat me like crap!"

"Every time I've met him, he's either gotten you in trouble, gotten your clothes off, or both."

"What does that mean?" she snapped defensively.

This was all going downhill very quickly. Everything he was saying was coming out all wrong, she wasn't getting what he meant. "If you didn't sleep with him, would he still be with you?" he asked bluntly, ready to kick himself. But he had to convince her how wrong that boy was for her.

Maxie jumped up furiously. "So what? I'm a slut for giving myself to someone who loves me?" she shouted.

"Come on, Maxie!" he shouted back at her. "Use your head! He's just using you!"

"No, he's not! He loves me and he's not going to abandon me like you did!"

"Stop being so young and dumb and letting some walking hormone take advantage of you! He doesn't love you! He's just going hurt you!"

"I hate you!" she screamed, running out in a huff.

Frisco winced as the door slammed. Some parent he was. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out the vodka, not bothering to get himself a glass. He just took a long gulp straight from the bottle. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed his ex-wife's number, taking another long drink. He really didn't want to tell Felicia what happened, but he'd rather she heard it from him than chew him out later for it.

Georgie answered the phone. "Hi, Dad," she said.

"Is your mom around?"

"Are you at home?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes," he answered in confusion.

"Uh oh," she muttered.

Frisco sighed. He knew that tone. He'd used it himself. Georgie must've been covering for her sister. "She found out Maxie snuck out, didn't she?" he asked, frustration clear in his voice.

"How did you know?" she asked sheepishly.

"Let me talk to your mother."

"She went over to your house to get Maxie. She left a couple minutes ago."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the front door. "I think she just got here. If Maxie comes home, page me, okay?" he asked, going to the door.

"Okay, Dad."

He opened the door, not even looking to see who it was. "I was just calling you," he said, push the end button.

Felicia walked in, but stayed in the entryway. "How'd you know it was me?"

He held up his cell phone. "Georgie."

"Oh," she said, almost sounding disappointed. "Well, is she here?"

"She just left," he told her. "I walked in on her and Kyle."

"Figures. She came over here to make out after I told her he couldn't come over."

"Oh, I don't think that's what I walked in on. They weren't wearing enough clothes."

He could see the worry in his ex-wife's eyes. "She's having sex with him?" 

Frisco just nodded. "For awhile now, I'd guess," he said in surprise. "I thought you knew."

"Oh god," she groaned, sitting down in a chair and putting her head in her hands.

He took a deep breath. He had to tell her. "She's really mad at me, Felicia."

"So what else is new?" she replied moodily. "She's been mad at you since you came home."

"I said something and it didn't come out the way I wanted it to." He grimaced. That wasn't entirely true. He meant what he said, he just didn't expect her to take it so badly. "I probably shouldn't have said it in the first place."

"What'd you say?"

Frisco bit his lip anxiously. "He's taking advantage of her. Every time I've seen the punk, she's been in various stages of undress. I told her that."

"I can see how she might take it the wrong way," she replied sarcastically.

"I told you it came out wrong!" 

"Frisco! There was no way that was going to come out right!" 

"What would you have said? You didn't see the smug look he gave me as he was leaving. He doesn't love her, he's just using her for sex!"

"You didn't have to tell her!"

"Well, somebody has to! She's not going to see it on her own!"

Felicia groaned in frustration. "Why don't you just leave the parenting to me, Frisco?"

"So what's your grand plan, Dr. Spock?" he sneered. "Just let this go? Let him keep using her?"

"She's not going to listen to what you say," she shot back. "You missed most of her life."

"She doesn't seem to be responding any better to you."

Anger filled her face. "Don't you tell me how to raise my daughter!" she shouted angrily, standing up. "I got through her childhood without you, Frisco Jones, I'll get through her teenage years on my own too!" 

He just looked up at her. "So, what? I get no say in this now? Poor, poor Felicia has to do it all on her own? She's my daughter too, damn it! I'm not going to just stand by while some stupid punk plays with her head!"

"You gave up that right when you left us," she said coldly. 

With one last glare at her ex-husband, Felicia stormed out. To go find Maxie, Frisco presumed. At least that was what he hoped, since forgiveness appeared to be out of the question at this point.

~*~

"Frisco Jones, do you realize there is no food in this house, save for a couple frozen pizzas, a half eaten bag of chips and a lot of alcohol?" Anna said, leaning against the bedroom door.

Frisco was lying on his bed, still thinking of Maxie. "I know," he told her. "I wouldn't eat if it weren't for Liz and Bobbie and Tony and Maxie and Georgie and Skye and Alexis and Luke..."

"Good lord, Frisco! You're a grown man, can't you take care of yourself?"

"Yeah, but it's easier to let them feed me." He shrugged. "I'm not home that much. I work too much to even think of going grocery shopping. I just go to Kelly's or Luke's. It's easier than cooking for only myself."

"Well, when you finish with all this Nurse's Ball stuff, you and me are taking a little trip to the grocery store." She watched him, making him nervous. "What's wrong?" she asked with a sigh, sitting next to him.

"I opened my big mouth and now both Maxie and Felicia are furious with me."

"Why?"

"Kyle."

"Maxie's boyfriend? The one you don't like?"

"She have another one I don't know about?" He frowned. "How did you do it? With Robin, I mean. How did get through without sticking your foot so far down your throat it's sticking out your ass?"

She chuckled. "You remember that night Robin went to the dance with that kid Rowdy? You came over and was talking to him about cars, then took them to the dance."

"I remember."

"We had this knock down, drag out fight for about an hour before you came over. She'd gotten all gussied up thinking she looked older and sexier. Frankly, she looked like a tramp. I made her change and take off all the makeup. She yelled at me, swore she'd never forgive me, the whole nine yards. You missed all the fireworks."

Somehow, this wasn't making him feel any better. "In other words, even the great Anna Devane screws up."

"No, she got over it before she even got home." She squeezed his arm comfortingly. "Maxie will forgive you. So will Felicia," she assured him. "What happened anyway? You walk in on them having sex again?"

"You should've seen the look on his face when he left, Anna. After I dropped my gun, anyway. He's using her and he doesn't care who knows it. He actually looked proud of himself."

"Oh god," she said, groaning softly. "I think I know what you said. Maxie will forgive you, but it might not be until she finds out you're right about him."

"Great," he scoffed.

"By the way prints came back," Anna told him, disappointment in her voice. "All they found were Maria's."

"Figures," Frisco groaned. "I can't catch a break to save my life these days."


	49. Chapter 49

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John.  
  
  


_I can't light no more of your darkness  
All my pictures seem to fade to black and white  
I'm growing tired and time stands still before me  
Frozen here on the ladder of my life_

_It's much too late to save myself from falling  
I took a chance and changed your way of life  
But you misread my meaning when I met you  
Closed the door and left me blinded by the light_

Mac was avoiding him. Three days Frisco had tried to get the Aussie alone, without success. First day, he bought the excuses. Second day, he was suspicious, but gave him the benefit of the doubt. Today, however, Frisco was sure Mac was hiding something. And he was going to find what that was.

Will walked into his office, closing the door behind him. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"I've got a job for you. I want you to get me everything you can on Malcolm Scorpio. Especially anything that relates to Enrique Montoya."

"I'll get on it right away."

"And Will," he said, stopping the young agent at the door. "Not a word to anyone, even Director Donely."

"What about Agent Devane? You've got me helping her get settled."

He closed his eyes, for a moment, thinking about Anna. He should tell her his suspicions about Mac. He should. But she was Mac's friend. She'd defend him, just as Robert would. Frisco looked back at the kid. "No. No one."

~*~

"Daddy!" Maxie screamed, running into the house without even knocking. "Daddy, are you here?"

Frisco had been upstairs, getting his costume. Lucy had demanded they rehearse in costume that night, just so she knew everything fit and there weren't any problems. Skye told him it was fairly normal and since he didn't have any stage show experience, he'd just have to take her word for it. Besides, it was just easier to do what Lucy wanted than to argue with her. Hearing his daughter's yell, he rushed downstairs, fearing the worst.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"I really need your help!" she cried, tears forming in her eyes.

"With what? What's wrong?" he asked again, grabbing her shoulders.

"I sound like a strangled cat!"

Frisco looked at her in confusion. Only yesterday she was telling him she hated him and now she was crying about a cat... "Strangled cat? What are you talking about, Maxie?"

"Serena and I were rehearsing for the ball and I sound awful! Daddy, I can't get up in front of the whole town sounding like that!" The upset girl then broke out in tears.

He wrapped his arms around her, stifling a laugh and grin. "It's okay, sweetie. I'm sure you sound fine." He pulled away enough to wipe away her tears. "Do you have your music with you?"

"No, I left it at the hotel," she told him, sniffling.

"Well, that's where I was heading anyway. I'm sure Skye and Lucy wouldn't mind cutting things short tonight to help you. Why don't you call your mom and tell her you're going to spend the night with me."

"Okay," she said, sniffing.

"Don't worry about it, alright? I'm sure you'll be fine."

"I think I'm the worst one performing."

"Not a chance," he assured the girl. "Luke's doing Frank Sinatra. I don't think it's physically possible to get worse than that."

Frisco's heart lifted when he heard Maxie laugh. "Thanks, Dad," she said, hugging him tightly.

He kissed her forehead. "No problem," he said, hugging her back. "Now unless you want to deal with Lucy, we need to be going or I'm going to be late."

She let go of him quickly. "Let's go," she said hurriedly, heading for the door. Frisco rushed back up to his bedroom and grabbed his things, chasing his daughter out of the house. 

~*~

Frisco walked over to the bag he'd left behind a curtain. He pulled out the flask from inside and took a long drink, unaware of the eyes watching him. He could hear Lucy and Skye still directing him. His ex-wife was bad enough, but the closer the Ball got, the nuttier and more panicked Lucy got. He took another drink. He was ready to strangle the woman.

"Drinking alone? That's not a good sign," Skye said from behind him.

"You're one to talk, Skye."

She stepped beside him and kneeled down. "You'll be surprise to hear I stopped. I started going back to meetings, not that AA was ever your thing."

This was the last thing he needed, a lecture from an alcoholic that just jumped back on the wagon. "Good for you," he replied, sounding completely disinterested.

"Why don't you come with me sometime?" she asked softly, laying her hand on his shoulder. "We could find one tonight."

"Skye, I don't need you on my back too," he replied, shrugging her off. "I get enough of it from Sean and Tony."

"Fine, I'll drop it. But the offer's always open, if you ever change your mind."

"Thank you."

"How do you feel about our act so far?" she asked, changing the subject.

He shrugged, not really wanting to discuss this either. "I think I got it. Probably wouldn't hurt to run through it a few more times."

Skye took the hint. "We've probably done enough for tonight," she said, sighing.

He slipped off his jacket and laid it on top of the bag. "I'll go get Maxie's music and we can start on that."

"Shouldn't take long. I heard her practicing earlier. She's just a little on the flat side."

He groaned softly as he stood. "Good. I know she's really worried about humiliating herself."

"At the Nurse's Ball?" she asked, chuckling to herself. "That's Lucy's job. Maxie's been through enough of these to know that."

"She's a teenager. Public humiliation is her second biggest concern."

"Her boyfriend being number one," Skye replied knowingly.

"Of course," he grumbled, walking back out to the middle of the stage. He looked around, but didn't see his daughter anywhere. "Maxie," he called out. "Your turn."

The teen appeared from the other side of the stage, opposite and in clear view of where he'd just been. The worry was written all over her. In her face, in her eyes, the way she had her arms wrapped around her, the way she could only muster a weak smile. Worry Frisco just assumed was for her performance at the Ball.


	50. Chapter 50

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang. Thank you to Kim for beta reading this chapter for me. :) Famous99- thanks! You'll see soon where the stuff with Mac leads, after the Nurse's Ball. Rach- lol, I'm just getting started with Maxie... Feljones- hey, do you have an F&F page? I swear I've read your story before! It's nice to find another F&Fer, we seem to be dwindling in numbers with Frisco and now Felicia off the show... :(  
  
  


_There's a party goin' on right here  
A celebration to last throughout the year  
So bring your good times and your laughter too  
We're gonna celebrate your party with you_

Frisco readjusted his tux for the hundredth time. He hated tuxedos. They were too stuffy, too restricting for him. Luckily, he rarely had to dress up, and he'd be out of this thing soon enough. If the Nurse's Ball was half as interesting as everyone made it out to be, a little discomfort would definitely be worth it.

"What do you think?" Anna asked, coming down the stairs and twirling at the bottom. She wore a simple, black, off the shoulder gown that highlighted her trim figure.

"You look mahvelous," he drawled, smiling at her. 

"You do too, except..." She pointed towards his neck as she walked up to him. "You really need to learn how to tie a tie straight," she said, undoing his bowtie and then tying it properly for him.

"I know. I don't exactly get a lot of practice at it," he told her, pulling at his collar.

"Quit fidgeting," she scolded amusedly.

"I hate these things," he complained.

"It's only for one night."

The doorbell rang. Frisco walked over and opened the door. Alexis immediately gave him a hug and kiss. She entered, smiling her greeting at Anna. 

Stefan walked in behind his sister, a somber expression on his face. "Cavorting with WSB agents? This is a new low, even for you, Alexis," he said, looking disapprovingly at Frisco.

"Well, we can't all be psychotic megalomaniacs like the Cassadines, Stefan," Frisco replied, sharing a grin with Alexis. He spotted a slight upturn at the edges of Stefan's mouth, which was about as much of a smile as Frisco ever got out of him. "This is my friend, Anna Devane," he said, gesturing to his former mentor. "Anna, this is Stefan Cassadine."

Anna held her hand out to Stefan. "Pleasure to meet you," she told him, smiling warmly.

"No, the pleasure is mine, Ms. Devane," he said, bringing her hand to his lips and then smiling charmingly.

"Please call me Anna, Mr. Cassadine."

"And I insist you call me Stefan." 

Alexis and Frisco watched them, both smiling satisfactorily. They'd both worried that Anna and Stefan would hate each other on sight, which would make for a tough evening. So far, it looked like they'd lucked out. "What do you think?" Alexis whispered to Frisco.

"It's definitely a good start," he replied quietly. 

"Well," she said, raising her voice so the others could hear her, "since the introductions are done, I think it's time we head over to the hotel."

"Right," Stefan agreed. "Anna," he said, gesturing towards the door and politely moving to allow the British agent by. Frisco rolled his eyes, but followed them and Alexis out.

~*~

The lobby of the Port Charles Hotel was filled with dressed up ball-goers when they arrived. Frisco looked around as they made their way through the crowd, letting Alexis lead him. It seemed like all of Port Charles was here. All the people were unsettling him, although he was not sure why. He spotted one of the few inactive agents that had volunteered to do security for a little extra money. It relieved some of his uneasiness to know he wasn't dependent on the PCPD for security. Nothing personal against Mac's department, but they were just peace officers, not trained for the things he feared.

The Versailles Room was off of the far end of the main lobby, with a small lobby of its own. Tables were set up around the room with items donated for a silent auction. Hanging on a wall was part of the AIDS quilt, the panel dedicated to Stone. He glanced at Anna, and saw tears in her eyes. She had never seen it and he figured it was hard for her, being faced with the harsh reality of her daughter's future. 

"Excuse me," Anna said to Stefan, glancing at Frisco and Alexis. She moved around the crowd in front of them, but a blonde stepped back and bumped into her first. 

"Hey!"

Seeing the greasy mop directly in front of him, Frisco knew exactly who it was. He rolled his eyes, sharing an annoyed glace with Alexis. He moved to Anna's side. "Anna, this is Sonny Corinthos," he said, gesturing to the mob boss. Carly gave Frisco a dirty look. He smirked, enjoying getting under her skin without any effort. "And this is Carly."

Anna's eyes turned cold. "So you're Carly," she said, eyeing the other woman suspiciously.

"Yeah, I'm Carly. Who are you?" Carly asked contemptuously.

Anna extended her hand and politely shook Carly's. "Anna Devane Scorpio."

"Robin's mother," Sonny said, smiling politely at his former friend's mother. Carly yanked her hand away like it had been burned, glaring daggers at the older woman. He shot his wife a scolding look. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Frisco wanted to laugh. As if Sonny gave a damn about Robin anymore, much less her mother. "Come on," he said, pushing Anna back towards the quilt, before she said something he'd end up regretting. "We have more important things to see," he reminded her.

Alexis and Stefan followed, Alexis with a satisfied smirk on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen Carly speechless," she commented to Frisco.

"Probably the best decision she's made since she hit town."

"Can't argue with that."

Anna approached the quilt slowly. She reached out to touch it. Frisco, Alexis and Stefan stayed back, allowing her some time alone. 

"This young man, Stone," Stefan said softly to Frisco, "he was Robin Scorpio's boyfriend, correct?" Frisco nodded. "Did you know him well?"

Frisco shook his head. "I only met him a couple times. I wasn't around for more than a few weeks that year."

Stefan stared at the quilt pensively for a few silent moments. "Was that the year my mother was causing trouble from Paris?"

He snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. Trouble was an understatement when it came to Helena Cassadine. She'd tried to take over a chemical research lab and "accidentally" blew it up when her efforts failed. After she had finally been caught by a WSB team led by Frisco, she'd proceeded to come on to him in an attempt to avoid arrest, before one of her boy toys knocked him and two other agents out helping her escape. Frisco ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed the spot on the back of his head where he'd had a knot for weeks afterwards. "Yeah, that was the year."

Lucy, still only dressed in her robe, came running out from the back, looking around frantically. She spotted the agent and rushed over, calling Frisco's name. "Frisco! Frisco, I need you! They're trying to take away one of my guys!"

Frisco snickered. "One of your guys, huh? Doc know about this?"

"Well, he's not mine obviously!" she replied, rolling her eyes dramatically. "He's in one of the numbers and we need him!" 

What was he supposed to say to her when she was looking at him so pathetically and was so obviously panicking? He sighed, knowing he was going to give in to her. "How can I refuse a damsel in distress?" he said, grinning to the two Cassadines. "I'll see you inside as soon as I take care of this."

Alexis gave him a knowing grin. "Have fun..." she crooned.

Lucy practically dragged him backstage. She pointed to where a crowd of people had gathered. Capelli and another police officer were arresting Kyle, amidst his and Maxie's vehement protests. "I tried to get a hold of Mac," Lucy told him anxiously, "but can't you make them wait until after?" 

"Daddy, make them stop!" Maxie cried, staying by her boyfriend's side. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

Frisco somehow doubted Kyle was innocent of anything. "You got an arrest warrant?" he asked the officers, indulging his daughter and Lucy. He didn't really want to help the kid out, but he could at least make sure everything was in order. That way, he could plausibly say his hands were tied. After all, the WSB wouldn't want to step on the PCPD's toes...

"Sure do," Capelli answered, handing him the warrant.

Frisco read it over. Possession with intent to sell, enough for a felony charge. Application made by Scott Baldwin, District Attorney, and Mac Scorpio, the requesting officer, and approved by the circuit judge. Even if he'd had the slightest urge to help the kid, there wasn't anything he could do here. He'd have to fight it out with Mac at the station and Frisco wasn't about to go through all that trouble for that pipsqueak. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he told his daughter, handing the warrant back to Capelli. "There isn't anything I can do."

"What do you mean there's nothing you can do?" she spat angrily. "You're supposed to be this big shot WSB guy!"

"That doesn't mean I have any say over the local police," he replied calmly. "Narcotics aren't in my jurisdiction. You'll have to take it up with Mac."

"They're wrong, Daddy! He didn't do it! He doesn't deserve to be arrested!"

"Then his lawyer won't have any problems getting him released."

"I hate you!" she yelled, storming back towards the dressing rooms.

Frisco sighed as the officers took Kyle away. Serena, who'd been standing nearby, patted his shoulder. "She didn't mean it," she said sympathetically, trying to reassure him. "She's just upset over Kyle getting arrested again."

Again? He'd been arrested before? Frisco rubbed his forehead frustratedly. He was getting really tired of Maxie's fickle moods towards him. At least when he came home, he knew where he stood with her; she resented and despised him, with no in-between. He almost wished they could go back to that. "No, she meant it."

"Oh, what are we going to do now?" Lucy cried, covering her face in her growing panic. "Amy!" She looked around for the nurse, her usual, tortured assistant for the Ball. "I need you, Amy!"

Frisco and Serena watched Lucy running all over the place, reminding both of them of a chicken with its head cut off. "I think I need to go find a replacement before Mom gives herself a stroke. Kyle was a big part of our act," she told him. "Don't worry about Maxie. She'll get over it I keep telling her he's not worth all this." She shrugged. "Maybe one day she'll start listening to me."

"Hey girl!" a voice said from behind them.

Both Serena and Frisco turned to see Tommy Hardy approaching them. "Tommy!" she screamed happily, running up to hug her friend and cousin excitedly. 

They pulled apart and he nodded a hello at Frisco. "Agent Jones, I thought that was you. How's it going?"

"Now's not a good time to ask that," Serena answered for him. "You remember what the Nurse's Ball is like."

The young man looked around amusedly. "A mad house as usual, I see."

Serena rolled her eyes. "And Maxie just threw one of her hissy fits."

Tommy shook his head, with a slight knowing grin. "Oh boy. I do not miss those."

"Tell me about it," she sighed. "She's pissed off because her loser boyfriend just got arrested." She smiled warmly, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. "So what are you doing here? I thought you were spending the summer with your dad."

"Is he still in Africa?" Frisco asked. "Doctors Without Borders, right?"

"Yeah," Tommy said, nodding. "Almost as soon as I got there, they evacuated out of the Congo. It got a little too hot, if you know what I mean."

Frisco had just received the security bulletins a few days earlier. Fighting had taken a nasty turn for the non-combatants, and several of the aid groups were pulling out temporarily. "So I've heard," he replied.

"Anyway, Dad sent me here to spend the summer with Gram."

"That's great, Tommy!" Serena said excitedly, hugging him again. Her face lit up mischievously, much like Lucy's did when she got an idea. "And I've got the bestest idea of what to do first!"

Frisco snickered. Tommy looked between them. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that," he said skeptically.

"Come on," she urged, pulling him towards the dressing room. "I've got a job for you..."

Frisco just watched amusedly, wondering why Maxie couldn't find a nice kid like Tommy. Lucy rushed up to him again, still frantic. Before she could even ask for his help, he put his hand up to stop her from speaking. "Serena found someone, Lucy," he told her.

Lucy exhaled sharply in relief. "Who?"

"Tommy Hardy just showed up."

"Perfect!" she said excitedly and ran off again, undoubtedly to find the next last minute crisis. He just shook his head. This was what he'd missed out on all these years. God, that woman was a nut case.

"See what you missed?" Tony said, joining his kid brother in watching Lucy.

"Good thing she's married to a psychiatrist." Frisco finally looked at his brother. "What on earth are you wearing?"

Tony was wearing an obnoxiously bright colored Hawaiian shirt, bright blue shorts and flip-flops. His hair was moussed in a spikey style. He glanced down at his clothes and back up at his kid brother. "My costume," he replied matter-of-factly. 

Frisco was about to reply when he spotted Kevin and Alan wearing equally obnoxious clothes. "I need to be getting back to my date," he said, stifling a laugh.. The look might've worked for teenagers, but not for middle-aged men. He had a feeling the night was going to be very interesting.

  



	51. Chapter 51

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Celebration Day" by Led Zeppelin. More Nurse's Ball fun! Rach- thanks!!! Famous99- nope, didn't stop, just hit a little bump in the road...

  


_My, my, my, I'm so happy,  
I'm gonna join the band,  
We are gonna dance and sing in celebration,  
We are in the promised land._

Frisco walked back out to the lobby and grabbed himself a drink at the bar. Frisco took a short sip of his drink. He stood at the bar, watching the crowd. Watching Ric sweet talk Elizabeth, to be exact. The mole was up to something, Frisco could see that much. 

Then again, it could just be rampant paranoia talking. He never did trust other spies. Slight occupational hazard.

He turned back to the bar when he spotted Carly heading his direction, a hand supporting her back. She looked as pleasant as ever, which wasn't saying much. Every time Frisco saw her, she seemed to be in a bad mood.

She stood right next to him at the bar, sighing heavily. "Water," she snapped at the bartender. They said nothing to the other, she just gulped down her water and demanded another. 

He snuck a glance at her. From this angle her pregnancy was obvious, although the dress did a good job of concealing it. She turned her head and glared at him. "What are you looking at?" she asked angrily.

"Why don't you get on your broom and fly somewhere else?"

"Why don't you go find some terrorists to bust?"

"Who needs terrorists when I've got your husband right here in my backyard?"

"Leave Sonny alone," she ordered, but not in her usual bitchy tone. She looked away from him. "He's a good man."

Something in the way Carly spoke wasn't right. Her whole demeanor changed at the mention of her husband and the defeated look in her eyes didn't jive with the Carly he knew. She looked almost... beaten down, like the women he saw when he did domestic calls as a beat cop. He sighed. Sonny was not worth the energy it would take to argue with her. "Fine. I'm not in the mood to point out the faults in that statement at the moment."

She finished the second glass and the bartender immediately refilled it, before she could get on him. "There are no faults to be pointed out," she insisted quietly. "It's the truth."

Frisco rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

"Carly, what do you think you're doing?"

Both he and Carly turned to see Sonny standing behind them. "I... I..." she stammered. "I just wanted a drink."

Sonny grabbed the drink out of her hand and slammed it on the bar. "Carly, you're pregnant, you're not supposed to be drinking," he told her scoldingly.

"Hey," Frisco interrupted, "it's just water."

"You stay out of this!" the mobster barked, pointing a finger in his face.

"Excuse me for standing up for a damsel in distress."

Carly opened her mouth to speak, but Sonny stopped her. "My wife is _not_ is distress."

Well, she didn't look like she was going to do it herself, he thought. "I'd say getting yelled at by her husband over nothing counts as distress."

"I do _not_ need you interfering in my life like this, Jones. Now go mind your own damn business."

Frisco looked at Carly before deciding it was probably best to just leave it be. "Fine," he said, looking her in the eye. "I'll be around."

~*~

Frisco went into the Versailles Room, drink in hand, looking for the Cassadines and Anna. Gaming tables were scattered along the walls of the room, along with a few flashy slot machines. Blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, the works. Lucy had decided she wanted the ballroom to look like Caesars Palace, a whole big Las Vegas theme for the event this year. At least as close to Caesars as a ballroom at the Port Charles Hotel was going to get. Sonny had pulled some strings and gotten the tables and machines, there were a few cheap prizes to be won, but all the money went to charity. Mostly Lucy saw it as a fun way for guests to give away their money.

Skye stepped out in front of him, blocking his path. "Ready for tonight?" she asked. 

"Of course," he said, grinning flirtatiously.

She was standing near her family, looking quite bored, although she wasn't the only one. Monica was quietly listening to AJ and Edward discussing something quite heatedly, but her glazed over eyes lacked any real interest. Ned butted in with an occasional comment, but stuck mostly to his conversation with Felicia. To his surprise, Tracy was even there, adamantly paying attention to AJ and Edward. She'd come with a date as well, but he was just out of Frisco's view.

Frisco made eye contact with his ex-wife as he approached the group. Felicia glanced away quickly, gripping her champagne glass uneasily. His breath caught in his throat as he saw her. She looked almost angelic. Her long blonde hair was pulled up, a few strands hanging loosely around her face and down her neck. Her lacy pink dress only accentuated her beauty, at least to him. 

Skye put her hand on his shoulder. Her superior smirk was directed right at Felicia, challenging his other ex-wife. To his dismay, instead of jealous, Felicia looked anything but. Uncomfortable was more like it. He fidgeted nervously with his tux jacket, fighting the urge to make a beeline for the bar again.

Ned shifted to one side, allowing Frisco to see the man with Tracy. He thought he was hallucinating. It couldn't be him. Not in Port Charles. Monica, Edward, Ned, AJ and Felicia he expected. Even seeing Tracy wasn't a surprise. He didn't, however, expect to find Adam Chandler standing in front of him.

"Gee, you're still in one piece," Tracy said condescendingly, smiling with her usual fake concern. Just the Tracy Frisco remembered.

"Unfortunately," Adam grumbled. Skye shot her adopted father a dirty look.

As if their run-in in Pine Valley wasn't enough, Frisco suspected his former father-in-law was ready for another round of bickering. "It's always a pleasure to run into you, Adam," he replied flatly.

"We were just discussing some ELQ business," Skye told him, earning her scolding glares from Adam and the Quartermaine men. She smiled slyly. "Alameda Enterprises."

Frisco tried to hide his smile. He should've known she'd take this opportunity to show up Ned and AJ with that little tidbit. "Ah, I see."

Felicia looked between her date, her ex-husband and Skye. "Isn't that your cousin Paul's company?" she asked him confusedly. "He's the one that sends Maxie's immunosuppressants every month."

The group's attention turned to Felicia. "Your cousin?" Ned asked Frisco disbelievingly. 

"It's not just Paul's company," he replied, glancing conspiratorially at Skye. "Tony and I own a big chunk of it too."

"You what?" Adam asked in disbelief, his jaw dropping in the process.

Frisco smirked smugly, selfishly satisfied with getting one over on Adam. "You didn't know that? I thought you big business types would've checked something like that out. A simple background check would've told you that..."

"Mr. Chandler, Mr. Quartermaine, Mr. Ashton," a voice said, interrupting. An aging man, with blond hair and a tan, walked up to the group. "Hey pipsqueak," he said softly, bumping Frisco playfully.

Frisco rolled his eyes at his older cousin. The two weren't close, in fact they hadn't seen each other in years, but Paul never failed to treat him as if he was perpetually ten years old. "We were just talking about you, _old man_," Frisco replied grumpily.

"Hey, watch it with the old man stuff, would you?" Paul replied, feigning offense.

"What are you going to do to me?"

"Stick you in corporate accounting. You'll be begging for mercy in under five minutes." He smiled warmly at Felicia. "How are you, Felicia?"

"I'm good," she said shyly. "It's nice to see you again, Paul."

"How's Maxie? Her heart still strong?"

"She's alright. Her health's great. She's just..." She trailed off, not sure of how to finish that thought, then shrugged. "She's a teenager."

"If she starts blowing up chemistry labs, let me know," he replied, sneaking a glance at his younger cousin. "I think we have something to correct that now."

Frisco rolled his eyes and shook his head. He was never going to live that down. "One little accident..."

"_Little_?" Paul repeated unbelievingly. "You were making a pipe bomb! The room was totaled and half the building was damaged! I'm surprised you weren't killed!" 

"Oh shut up," he grumbled.

"What brings you here tonight, Paul?" Ned asked, watching him warily.

"Obviously, visiting my cousins," Paul answered, his friendliness fading. He glanced around. "Nice place your family has here."

"It's not for sale," Edward snapped.

Paul grinned, a grin Frisco recognized. Like a shark circling, ready and just waiting for the right moment to attack. "Sorry, I don't do hotels. But hey, maybe 007 here will want something like this when he gives up the Bond gig." He patted Frisco on the back. "I think I'm going to go find Tony."

"He's backstage getting ready," Frisco told him, attempting to hold back his annoyance. "Just look for a blinding hula shirt."

"I don't believe this," Adam muttered as his corporate rival sauntered away, glaring at the agent.

"We've survived corporate sharks like him before," Edward told him confidently. "We survived Jax with this company intact, we'll survive him. You can count on that."

Frisco eyed the old man. He had no idea what Paul was planning, but he suspected the Quartermaines wouldn't know what hit them with an attitude like that. "Jasper Jacks is a playboy that raids companies for sport. Paul only plays to win and he doesn't quit until he gets what he wants. And take my word on this, he always makes sure his bases are covered before he strikes."

With that, he turned and walked away, not saying another word to the group. He wandered around, watching the crowd and sipping his drink. Sean and Tiffany had finally showed up and were mingling with old friends. Taggart was talking with Dara Jenson, his girlfriend and Alexis' law partner, and another woman Frisco didn't recognize. Jason was playing craps with Brenda and was leaning in suspiciously close to her as she spoke to him, their significant others noticeably absent from the conversation. Jax was over at the roulette wheel taunting a sour looking Scotty; Courtney was across the room from her fiancé, talking to her brother and father, Carly sitting a few feet away with her arms crossed like a bored teenager. 

There were just so many people in the room, so many potential dangers Frisco couldn't see. He tried to squelch his sudden rising panic. He downed his drink, setting the glass on an empty table. Someone bumped into him accidentally, immediately apologizing. He clenched and unclenched his fists anxiously, taking slow deep breaths as Kevin had been telling him to do, trying desperately to think of anything else. 

Air. He needed fresh air.

~*~

Frisco stepped out onto the terrace, thankful it was deserted at that moment. The sun had set, Port Charles was dark. Luis Alcazar's face flashed in his mind. It had been so long since he'd thought of that night. So many other things to haunt him in the meantime. 

He stood at the stone railing. He closed his eyes, trying to get the face out of his mind, the voice out of his ears. The face and voice that belonged to the man he executed.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about tonight. He was supposed to be having fun.

"Is this a private party or can any old slob join?"

Frisco smiled. The attitude, the words were all Luke, but young, feminine voice definitely wasn't. "Be my guest, Lulu." The girl stood at the rail next to him. "How's your evening going?"

She adjusted her pastel yellow dress. The top was beaded and embroidered, the long skirt was sheer and billowy. Her hair was pulled up and curled, with a tiara securely attached around her updo. "I hate getting dressed up," she grumbled, lifting up her skirt enough to see her shoes as she fidgeted with it.

He snickered when he caught sight of her matching yellow canvas high tops. "That makes two of us. But at least you've got sneakers on."

She glanced down at her shoes. "Gia bought me the dress and Nik got me this silly tiara. They made me dress up. I already feel like I'm wearing a tutu, I wasn't about to wear those stupid little strappy sandal things I couldn't even walk straight in."

"A girl after my own heart."

"At least you got to wear pants." She hopped on top of the railing and leaned far over, far enough to worry Frisco and for him to move with in grabbing reach of her. "So what was Maxie whining about a little while ago?" she asked, pulling herself back up.

He relaxed a little, now that she wasn't hanging off the balcony. "Kyle was arrested and I couldn't stop it."

Lulu arched an eyebrow and grinned, looking very much like her mother. "Couldn't or wouldn't?" she asked knowingly.

He shrugged, leaning his forearms on the rail. "Both," he admitted.

"Maybe one of these days she'll dump his ass. She's the only one that hasn't figured out what a loser he is."

"Yeah, well, right now she's mad at me."

"She's always mad at you."

"She wasn't yesterday," he complained, not really caring that he was unloading on a kid. "This love/hate thing she has for me drives me nuts."

"She's just scared," Lulu replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Frisco was taken back. He hadn't considered that possibility. "Of what?"

"That you'll leave again," she told him. "Georgie was, too."

He wanted to kick himself. When he came home, he hadn't thought about how he'd uprooted their lives by staying. They were used to him coming and going from their lives, only staying a few days the rare occasions they did see him. "Was? She's not scared anymore?"

"Don't know. She was just glad to have you here, she didn't worry about it like Maxie does. But Maxie stresses over everything like this."

He looked at the young girl. Her eyes held a soul far older than her age. "That's pretty profound for a thirteen year old."

"Come on, Frisco. My dad is Luke," she scoffed. "One of us has to be the adult with Mom gone. And we both know it ain't gonna be him. Aunt Bobbie always says I'm thirteen going on forty."

"Luke's not so bad."

"He doesn't care about me. All he cares about is Mom," she said, looking down despondently. "Nikolas and Gia want me to live with them."

The sadness in her voice stabbed at his heart, making him wonder how many times someone had had this conversation with his own daughters. "You know, Lulu, parents are human, too. We make mistakes, get caught up in our own pain sometimes. Doesn't mean we don't care about our kids."

"So what are you saying? I have to put up with him?" she snapped. "I'm at Wyndemere almost every night. I'm hardly ever home. He never notices. He's always at the club drinking."

"I didn't realize things had gotten so bad."

"Lucky told Nik he'd support him if he filed for custody of me."

Ouch. If Lucky was backing his brother, then Luke must've really gone downhill. "Is that what you want?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "Yeah, that's what I want."

Just the idea of Nikolas getting custody of her would be enough to drive Luke over the edge, he knew. Perhaps it was the best thing for Lulu right now. One mentally incapacitated parent was bad enough. "Well... Do what you gotta do. Maybe this will be the swift kick in the pants he needs to get better. But when you get over to the island, don't forget him. You, Lucky and Bobbie are all your dad has left. He needs you, whether he chooses to admit it or not."

She pouted slightly, resting her chin on her hand, her elbow on the rail, and chewed softly on her pinky finger as she considered what his advice. "Being the adult sucks," she said finally.

Frisco chuckled. "You can commiserate with Maxie."

Lulu groaned. "Oh joy. I think I'm just going to go drag Dad away from the poker table before he gambles away the Ice Princess."


	52. Chapter 52

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Bourbon Borderline" by Gary Allan and "Surfin' Safari" by the Beach Boys. Rach- thanks, and you're wrong about Frisco. Luke's starting to be the saner one of the two.  


  
  


_Memories of you surround me  
And I'm afraid the tears might drown me  
Oh, I think I'm doing fine  
Until I cross that bourbon borderline_

Frisco followed Lulu back into the ballroom and found the table where Anna, Alexis and Stefan had been seated. At the next table was Nikolas, Gia, Lucky and Livvie Locke, Kevin's daughter and Lucky's part-time girlfriend. Gia's dress was similar to Lulu's, he noticed, but baby blue and minus the tutu material. He sat down next to Alexis, smiling. "Sorry about that," he apologized to the small group.

"What was the crisis Ms. Coe needed help with?" Stefan asked.

"My daughter's boyfriend was arrested," the agent replied indifferently. He leaned towards Alexis. "You know, there is something very wrong about a bunch of middle aged doctors in loud hula shirts."

"Maxie's boyfriend was arrested? For what?" Alexis asked, stunned, ignoring his last statement.

"Possession with intent to sell, a felony charge."

"Couldn't you do anything for him?"

"Nope, nor did I want to," he scoffed. "He's just a little punk and Maxie's better off without him."

"How'd she take it?" Anna asked.

"She hates me," he answered with a smile. "At least it wasn't _this_ dad that got the warrant in the first place."

"Why was Ms. Coe panicking over this young man?" Stefan questioned, although only mildly interested. "Was he performing?"

"He was supposed to be in Maxie and Serena's number, but he's been replaced."

"Bet Lucy went ballistic," Gia said, leaning closer to their table. "She freaked out enough when Livvie and Alison started fighting in rehearsals, then Liz and Courtney turned around and got into it."

Frisco glanced at Livvie, then smiled at Gia. "Hope you're doing something that requires bickering."

She shrugged. "We're doing 'Cell Block Tango'. A little animosity couldn't hurt."

"Which part do you have?"

She grinned devilishly, glancing at her fiancé. "You know, some guys just can't hold their arsenic," she quoted to Frisco and Alexis' amusement.

"Well, she's got the Cassadine weapon of choice down," Alexis teased.

The house lights dimmed and the curtains opened enough for Lucy to walk to the middle of the stage. Her light green ball gown shimmered under the lights, it was actually unbelievably subtle for Lucy. She greeted the crowd with a huge smile. 

"Welcome to the 9th Annual General Hospital Nurse's Ball!" Lucy said, to the cheers of the audience. "When we started this nine years ago, there was no cure, no treatment, no hope for those with this dreadful, deadly disease. Now, there are several treatments and we are closer than ever to a cure. Tonight is about hope, about celebration and about joy. Tonight will be a night of many surprises and a night to never forget..."

Frisco's mind drifted as she spoke, to another hospital fundraiser, long ago. Soon Lucy faded and he saw his mother on stage, nearly identical pale green ball gown, the same speech urging for donations. The last time he ever heard his mother sing.

She was sick, very sick, but insisted on seeing the fundraiser through. She had to live up to the commitments she'd made before her illness, she had told him, a lesson she had hammered home several times throughout his young life. He quit far too easily in her opinion and she always practiced what she preached, or at least tried to. 

As she struggled to get through the exhausting evening, all he could was watch her push herself to keep going.

He didn't know how sick she was until that night. She'd insisted on seeing to the cleanup, but it was too much for her. She collapsed, hitting her head on a table as she fell. They'd rushed her to the emergency room, and left Andy alone with the nurses while his father and brother talked to the doctors. Poor little Andy, the nurses had whispered behind his back, his mother is dying. He rushed back to his mother's room and tried to get someone to talk to him. His father pushed him away as usual, but when Tony, the big brother he looked up to and depended on, told him to go away, he did just that. He left the hospital and wandered aimlessly through the city for hours. If no one wanted him around, he wasn't about to stay. Not that it mattered, he always ended up alone anyway. Unfortunately, his parents had reported him missing. A cop found him early the next morning and returned him to the hospital, where his father was furiously waiting to ground him. Again.

He didn't mean to make her cry. He didn't mean to make things worse, to make them worry. He didn't what was going on, no one was telling him anything and he was scared. All he wanted was someone to tell him everything would be okay, not to get yelled at told what an ungrateful, spoiled brat he was.

Oddly enough, the only comfort he received that night was a hug from Rita, something his family couldn't be bothered with.

A hand gently touching his cheek brought him back to the present. He glanced around, blinking a few times in confusion. Stefan and Anna's attention was on the stage. Alexis, however, was looking at him strangely.

"You want to tell me about it?" she asked softly.

He stiffened. "About what?"

"What ever you were thinking about. I know that tear couldn't have been for Lucy's joke about losing her dress."

Tear? He hadn't even realized... He took a few deep breaths, suddenly wishing this night was over. "I was just remembering something, that's all."

"Felicia?"

"No," he said with a sigh. "Not Felicia."

"Are you ready to laugh?" Lucy asked the crowd, raising her excited voice over the cheers. "Are you ready to party?" The crowd cheered even louder. "Most importantly, are you ready to spend your money?" A few amused laughs could be heard through more cheers. "Bringing us the sounds of fun, sun, sand and surf all the way from sunny California, Tony Jones and the Beach Bums!"

Lucy quickly exited the stage as the curtains fully opened, no spotlights. Even in the dark, the hula shirts stood out. Seeing his brother on stage, he'd have to thank Skye. His gold lame jacket was much better than those hula shirts.

The sounds of an old Beach Boys classic filled the room as the stage lights came up Frisco tried not to crack up at the sight of his older brother. Hula shirt half open, collar up, sunglasses, hair moussed, surfboard in hand. Several other members of the surgical staff, including Bobbie, were standing behind him, all dressed in similar beach clothing.

"Early in the morning we'll be startin' out," Tony sang. "Some honeys will be coming along..."

Kevin moved to the front of the stage and took over singing duties from Tony. "We're loading up our woody with our boards inside and headin' out singing our song..."

The other doctors and nurses, only a couple of which Frisco knew, also moved forward, dancing and joined in singing the chorus. "Let's go surfin' now, everybody's learning how, come on and safari with me..."

"Come on and safari with..." Alan sang in the background.

~*~

The second Ned Ashton hit the stage for the second number, Frisco went for the bar. "Excuse me," he grumbled to Alexis as he got up.

She followed him. "Don't want to listen to another man sing to Felicia?" she said teasingly.

"What about you? Don't want to listen to Ned sing to another woman?"

Alexis smiled. "Touché."

"Yup." What else was he supposed to do? The guy was singing a cheesy romantic ballad to _his_ woman. Even out in the lobby, he could hear Ned's stupid song. "Wanna go upstairs and have sex?" he suggested jokingly, flashing her only a faint, defeated smile.

Alexis laughed. "Nice try, buster!" she replied, bumping him with her shoulder.

"You have an exhibitionist streak? There's plenty of dark corners around..."

She rolled her eyes. "Knowing my luck, Helena would find us and make a big scene just to humiliate me."

Mentioning Helena was one good way to kill anything but a bad mood. "Knowing my luck, she'd ask to join in," Frisco snorted.

"Oh god, is that why you're so tortured? Satan herself turn her evil eye on you?"

He chuckled. Evil eye was one way to put it. "She just wants me for my body."

"I should say so. It's such a fine body," she said amorously. "But she usually likes her boy toys a bit more submissive."

A perky, female voice interrupted. "Looking sharp, Frisco." 

Frisco and Alexis turned to see Bobbie standing behind them, straightening her black evening dress. They smiled happily at her as a man walked to her side. Of all the measly scumbags to show up, it had to be Jerry Jacks... Frisco's eyes widened in surprise, so did Jerry's. 

"Oh, Frisco, this is..." Bobbie started to say. 

She didn't get a chance to finish the introduction. Jerry cut her off. "I can explain..." he managed to nervously stammer, before Frisco's fist connected with his jaw. He stumbled back, leaving Alexis and Bobbie agape. 

Alexis put herself between the two men, her hands on Frisco's chest to hold him back. "What's wrong with you?" she asked angrily as Bobbie helped Jerry up. 

"Yeah!" the Aussie snarled at him.

Frisco lunged for the other man again. "You don't leave your partner, better yet your boss, without cover, you fucking asswipe!"

"You were fine!"

"Yeah, up until they started shooting at me!"

"You got out, didn't you?"

"No thanks to you, dumbass! You were supposed to back me up!"

"I went for more back up!"

"The hell you did! You were just saving your own ass and you left mine in the goddamn line of fire!"

Alexis and Bobbie glanced at each other in confusion. "What on earth are you two bickering about?" the redhead snapped.

Jerry looked at her guiltily. "Remember how I said I had to make a deal to stay out of jail?"

"Yes."

"Well, the deal was with the WSB."

"What!" she shouted.

He cringed and looked around. "Shh... Nobody's supposed to know!"

"Way to go, Jacks. Five minutes here and you've already blown your cover," Frisco grumbled, crossing his arms.

"My cover would've been fine if you hadn't punched me," Jerry shot back.

"Yeah, like it's so difficult to come up with a reason to deck you."

Sean entered the lobby, storming up to the group. "What's going on here?" he asked, looking pointedly at Jerry and Frisco. "I could hear you two inside."

"Nothing," both men grudgingly replied.

Sean shook his head. "Who hit who first?" he asked the two women tiredly.

"Frisco," they replied in unison.

He stared down the younger agent. "My office, first thing Monday morning."

"You don't have an office here," Frisco pointed out softly.

"Then _your_ office, first thing Monday morning." The older man grinned deviously. "We can discuss Jerry's assignment."

"Assignment?" Frisco groaned. "Oh no, you're not dumping him on me! You already saddled me with Rita!"

Sean snickered. "You wanted more personnel. He was available."

"Be careful what you wish for," Jerry added, smiling sardonically.

Frisco glared at him. He had a smartass comment ready, but thought better of it, with Sean standing right there. Last thing he needed was to be chewed out by the boss for one more thing, especially Jerry.

"Does this mean your back for good?" Alexis asked the Aussie excitedly. 

Frisco turned back to the bar, tuning out the rest of the conversation. Instead, he finished his drink as soon as it was set in front of him, followed by two more.

"Why don't you take it easy, huh?" Tiffany asked quietly, standing next to him.

He hadn't noticed that Ned's song had finished and that the show had taken a short break. He sighed. "I'm fine, Tiff."

"Really? How many does that make?" She nodded at the fresh drink in front of him. "Four? Five? Six?"

He rolled his eyes. He'd been through this before, Tiffany or Sean eyeing everything he did, everything he drank. It got so repetitious, he was so ready to strangle both of them, even as occasionally he saw them. "I take the fifth," answered, annoyed.

"You're not under oath."

"Then I decline to answer on the grounds it violates my religion."

She put her hand on her hip, leaning on the bar. She shook her head, an impressed smirk on her face. "Religion," she snorted. "Now that's a new one, darlin'."

He forced a grin for his old friend. "Glad you enjoyed it. I'll be here all night."

Tiffany looked back towards the doors and back to him. "We better be getting back in there. Anna and Mac are going to speak for Robin. Don't want to miss that."

Alexis touched his arm. "Gia's going on after them as well," she reminded him.

"Right." Frisco quickly finished his drink and flashed Tiffany one last smile. The 'leave me the hell alone' smile he perfected after Iraq. He took Alexis' hand and returned to their table.

~*~

Stefan had moved to the other table and was talking seriously with Lucky and Nikolas, Gia and Livvie already backstage getting ready for their number.

"Abandon us already, Stefan?" Alexis asked her brother. "A little early, isn't it?"

Frisco sat down, not really caring what the answer was.

"No," Stefan replied softly. "I was asking about Laura."

An explosion erupted outside and resonated throughout the hotel, drowning out any possible response.

  



	53. Chapter 53

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Blown Away" by The Walkabouts. I forgot to put this up last week when I finished it, so you get two chapters at once. ;) April and Rach- thanks for the reviews!  
  


_Blown down the wind  
Let the trouble begin  
Get blown away  
Never look back again_

The explosion rocked the hotel, spurning the law enforcement personnel in attendance into action. Mac immediately pulled out his phone and called for backup, while police officers and WSB personnel rushed outside. Shocked murmurs went through the crowd, most of who followed to the scene out of stunned curiosity.

Taggart was the first outside. "Car bomb," he told Mac as soon as they had joined him. 

Frisco looked around. Most of the cars in the immediate area had been damaged or destroyed outright. Parts of the wreckage were still burning, but not with near the intensity as the blast. Ric was several feet away, leaning down over a body and holding a hand on his own shoulder.

"Oh my goodness!" Lucy cried, once she'd pushed her way through the murmuring crowd gathered near the door. "No, why does this stuff always happen during the Ball..."

Frisco, Sean and Mac all looked at each other. "What's the saying, the show must go on?" Frisco said, vocalizing what they all knew. They needed to get everyone inside, away from the crime scene. Continuing the ball was the best idea right now, to limit contamination of evidence at the scene and to prevent any civilian injuries. Any witnesses could be pulled away from the ball to be questioned and everyone else would be distracted away from the bomb while the police and fire department worked.

"I'll take care of it," Mac volunteered, walking over to Lucy and the crowd. He tried to calm her, with Kevin's help. Mac left Lucy to her husband and started ushering the crowd back inside the hotel.

Sean pulled Frisco a few steps in the opposite direction, away from the departing crowd. "What do you think? Mob related?"

Frisco nodded. "I'd bet my next paycheck that pile of melted metal is Corinthos' car. A little birdie told me he's making the Five Families nervous," the younger man told him. He glanced back towards his agent as firefighters arrived on scene and began to put out the residual fires. "I'm going to check on Lansing."

Officers were surrounding Ric by the time Frisco got to him. Through the people, he could see Liz lying on the ground, unconscious with blood gushing from the side of her head. The officers were trying to administer first aid to both Ric and Liz as they waited for the paramedics to arrive. Frisco grabbed the undercover agent by the arm, ignoring his injured shoulder. "What the hell happened?" he demanded.

Ric yanked his arm away, grimacing in pain. "We were just out here talking when the bomb went off. We were hit by debris."

"Why were you out here instead of inside?"

"We just wanted to be alone for a few minutes, that's all." He sighed. "We were going inside for Liz's number."

A crowded parking lot was not the best place for this conversation. Frisco needed to be someplace where he didn't have to worry about blowing his agent's cover. He would just have to wait to continue this. And worse yet, he was going to have to face Jeff now.

~*~

Every available officer was scouring the parking lot looking for evidence. Well, not everyone. Frisco was sure Sean was probably "supervising" and had sent Jerry back inside to keep his position secret. Mac would be busy meeting with the fire chief and fending off Baldwin's interference. Sam was as close to an explosives expert that the PCPD had, so she'd caught the case. Anna had gone inside to make her "Face of HIV" speech alone. As soon as she was done, she would be examining the wreckage with Sam, being highly trained in explosives herself. Frisco wondered why he got stuck doing grunt work. He flashed the flashlight around as he slowly walked through the lanes, moving farther and farther away from the blast site.

A moving shadow caught his attention. It was a little further down the street. He watched as the shadow of a person running away started to disappear. He took off after it, chasing the shadow in the direction of the docks and warehouse district, unaware of the footsteps following behind him.

~*~

Frisco leaned against a wall, slightly out of breath. He'd lost the running figure in between the warehouses. He heard the unmistakable squeal of tires a car speed away. He rushed to the corner and looked down the street, all he saw was a dark-colored car in the distance, too far away for him to make out a license plate or make.

He kicked a rock in disgust. He'd lost a suspect and their best lead. "Way to fucking go," he muttered furiously.

Maybe it wasn't entirely a lost cause. The bomb was likely the mob. He could meet with Nikita again and find out who was behind this. Explosions like this were definitely her style. She was a friend and all, but she was as dangerous as they came. Corinthos had no idea what he'd gotten himself into with her.

Frisco looked around, taking in every detail. Somebody had stayed behind to inspect the damage, watch the target's reaction. Normal for a warning, standard operating procedure for high level crime organizations. Just like Bogotá, he remembered.

He was scanning the buildings when the night sky burst into flames, engulfing a nearby warehouse.

"No!" he screamed.

Not again. It couldn't be happening again.

Another explosion obliterated what was left of the building. He was thrown backwards by the blast, no idea what had hit him. 

~*~

Frisco could feel Pedro pulling him away from the flames. He could feel the heat searing his skin, the thick smoke filling his lungs. He didn't care. He had to get to them, he had to save them. He sent them in there, this was his fault...

He broke Pedro's grip and ran to the building as fast as he could. He hadn't gotten but a few feet before the Columbian tackled him. He hit the ground on his bad shoulder and the pain shot through the left side of his body.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Frisco?" Pedro asked him, still holding him down. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" 

Frisco looked at the other man in confusion. He must've hit his head too, because Pedro was sounding strangely like his wife.

"There's agents in there!" he shouted, trying to fight the body holding him down. The very feminine body, he noticed. "I have to get them out!"

"Frisco, it's too late!"

"No, this is my mission! I have to save them!"

"There's nothing you can do! You'll just get yourself killed!"

Seven agents were inside. _Seven_ agents. Frisco watched as his mission, his first mission in command, died with his team. He'd failed the Bureau, his team, everyone. Rita was right, he should've taken some time off and gone back to Port Charles after Afghanistan. He wasn't ready to be back out in the field and now seven agents were dead. All because he didn't do his job.

"It's my fault," he cried, breaking down into sobs.

"What's your fault? What on earth are you talking about?" 

The soft voice was definitely not Pedro's, but Sam's. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, but in a comforting way. His hand reached up and gripped her arm, holding on for dear life as the emotions raged over him.

"It's okay, Frisco," she whispered to her friend, rocking him softly.

~*~

Fire crews appeared at the second scene in no time, having been diverted en route to the hotel. Sam and Frisco sat on the curb, watching the fire burn. She was talking to him, but he wasn't hearing her, lost in his own head. Now that the flashback and the resulting emotions had worn off, he was just numb and still a little shaky. He just wanted to grab a bottle of vodka and go to sleep.

Emergency crews worked furiously around the stunned agent. Paramedics pestered Frisco, as did Sam, but he shrugged off medical help. He was okay, he had no interest in going to the hospital. Hell, he had no interest in anything going around him. He was just in shock, he just needed a little time to rest. Alone.

"Why don't you go back to the hotel?" Sam suggested. "We can take care of this and you've supposed to perform later. I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss Maxie's number."

"Okay," he said tiredly. She could've told him she was shipping him off to the looney bin for all he cared, he would've had the same answer. He let Sam lead him to a patrol car and slipped inside silently, staring blankly out the window as one of the uniforms drove him back.

He watched the scenery as the car went through the streets. He wondered how Liz was. The doctors should know something about her condition by now. "Take me to the hospital," he told the officer.

~*~

As soon as Frisco stepped through the doors of GH's emergency room, Tony spotted him from the front desk. He sighed as the uniform took a seat in the waiting area. He had some idea of how bad he looked. If he didn't, he sure did with the shocked look on his older brother's face. 

"Jesus, Frisco! What happened?"

"I didn't know you were on call tonight." He sounded distant, distracted, and looked like he was ready to collapse at any moment. 

"I'm on call most nights. I work almost as much as you do. You know that," Tony said, concern written on his face as he visually examined his little brother. "Come on, let me look you over."

"I'm fine, Tony. I'm just here to check on Liz."

"Are you sure? You look like..."

Frisco sighed. His brother was so overprotective sometimes, but in this case he supposed it came with the territory. "Liz," he reminded his brother wearily. 

"She has a concussion and is still unconscious. There's a little swelling, but not enough to be worried about yet. I can't tell you much more than that right now."

In his cloudy mind, he couldn't tell if that was good or bad. To hell with it, he decided. He'd leave the medical stuff to Tony. "Can I see her?"

"Sure." 

Tony led him to the trauma room where Elizabeth lay. Frisco pulled a stool next to the bed and sat down. The blood had been cleaned off her face and the cut on her face was bandaged, but her normally rosy cheeks were pale. The canula attached to her nose and face, the rhythmic beeping of the monitors... She reminded him a bit of Tania after her accident, laying in that hospital bed dying. He rubbed his eyes emotionally, taking her hand. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth," he whispered.

Tony patted his shoulder. "I'm sure she's going to be okay, little brother," he said softly.

"Jeff is so going to kill me."

"This isn't your fault."

Frisco just sighed. Tony didn't get it. It was his fault. She should've never been in that parking lot with Lansing. He waited too long to do something about that guy and Liz was hurt, twice. He dropped his head. He was responsible for this.

He felt his brother touch the back of his head once, then his hand backed away quickly. Tony's fingers parted his hair. "Frisco, how on earth did you hit your head?"

Frisco groaned, pushing the hands away. "I think that's my cue to go back to the ball."

~*~

Careful clean up was beginning in the hotel parking lot, although without much of the earlier crew. Evidence was being gathered and cataloged, a slow process considering how much debris was left in the immediate area of the bomb.

The patrol car stayed in the street, leaving Frisco to plod to the door on his own. He passed by Taggart without noticing, completely unaware of most of what was going on around him. Scott noticed however and stepped in front of the younger man, but Frisco nearly ran into him.

"Hey, you okay, Frisco?" the district attorney asked, showing a rare moment of concern. "You look like hell."

"Thanks, I just got back," Frisco joked softly, no real humor in his voice. 

"Well, you definitely look it. Do you need to go to the hospital or something? There's a room full of doctors and nurses inside..."

"No, I'm okay," he said, shaking his head. "Know anything yet?" He gestured to the burnt mass, a moment after speaking.

"Just that it's Sonny Corinthos' limo and the Corinthos-Morgan warehouse."

His brain was beginning feel like it was full of cobwebs. He had to repeat Scott's words a couple times in his mind before he finally understood. "The second bomb was for Corinthos too?"

Scott turned and looked at the debris in disgust. "Looks that way. I was just going to go tell him."

Frisco shook his head gently. "I'll do it. I'm going inside anyway." He patted the DA's shoulder weakly and continued into the hotel.

~*~

Back in the Versailles Room lobby, Frisco immediately spotted Jason talking with Courtney. He walked up to the younger man and touched his shoulder. "I need to talk to Sonny. Is he around?"

Jason looked him up and down. "He's not talking without his lawyer, if you're planning on questioning him," he responded coldly.

"Your lawyer went to the hospital," the agent snapped wearily. "This isn't an interrogation. I'm just passing on information."

The young man turned to his girlfriend, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "Why don't you go check on Carly," he told the blonde. Even through Frisco's hazy mind, it sounded more like an order. As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned back to the agent. "What's the information?" His question was met only with silence. "Look, you tell me or you don't get to Sonny at all."

Frisco had no idea why Borgie couldn't just point him in the right direction, but it wasn't as if he cared. Jason, Sonny, it was all the same to him. "Your warehouse and Sonny's limo were bombed."

"The car bomb outside, it was for Sonny?" Jason asked guardedly. Frisco just nodded, noting the increased iciness in the young man's voice. "What happened at the warehouse?"

"It blew up shortly after the car did."

"And how do you know this?"

Normally, Frisco would've laughed at such a stupid question. The guy had looked at him, it should've been obvious how he knew. And that was ignoring the fact he was in law enforcement. But at the moment he wasn't up to dealing with stupidity. "Take another look and you tell me," he scoffed. "If you have any more questions, take them to someone who wasn't busy getting blown up."

He turned and walked off, rolling his eyes. He crossed the lobby and sat in a chair opposite the ballroom doors. Every movement hurt, even just sitting. His head throbbed, especially the back. He reached out and felt the offending spot. It was still a little wet and he had a nice bump starting. One more to the list.

He slumped in the chair and watched the small crowd disinterestedly. Some of the cobwebs seemed to be clearing, but he was beginning to feel more and more disconnected from the world around him. Almost like being in a video game. Part of the action, but not really there.

A brunette rushed over to him worriedly, barely catching his notice. "Oh my god!" she cried, gently touching a scratch on his face he didn't realize he had. "How bad are you hurt? Do you need help?"

He stared at the beautiful face for a solid minute in confusion, before he recognized her. Brenda. "I'm okay, Brenda, really," he replied, giving her a faint smile. Unfortunately, his voice didn't inspire confidence in that statement.

"You don't look okay. Let me go get Alan and Monica."

He tried to assure her again that he was okay, but she scampered off, calling Alan Quartermaine's name. Last thing he wanted to deal with right now was a doctor. At least it wasn't Tony this time.

Frisco got up to leave before she returned, but sat back down when the room began spinning slightly. Best to just stay seated, he decided. Rest, he would rest for a little while.

He held his head in his hands. He heard the distinct sound of high heels coming toward him quickly. He looked up, expecting to see Brenda. Instead, his princess looked down at him, concern in her crystal blue eyes.

She kneeled down, brushing the hair from his forehead, and touched the same wound Brenda had. "Oh god, what happened? You look terrible, Frisco," she said softly.

"I have bad luck with bombs," he told her, only half joking.

She smiled sweetly. "Wherever you are, trouble still follows, I see."

"Yeah. At least my record is still intact," he said, eliciting a giggle from Felicia.

She moved when Alan appeared behind her, with Brenda hovering worriedly nearby. The aging doctor took one look at Frisco and gave him his diagnosis. "You should go to the emergency room, let Tony look you over."

Frisco groaned in annoyance. "I don't need to go to the emergency room. I'm okay."

"What happened?" Alan asked, using a penlight to look in the younger man's eyes.

"Explosion," the agent answered flatly.

"Where did you get hit?"

"I was tackled."

"Hit your head?"

"Not really. Just a couple of scratches and a bump." 

"Any dizziness?"

"No," Frisco lied.

"Blurred vision?"

"No."

"Headache?"

"A little bit."

"Tiredness?"

"Not that I'd blame on my head."

"Any aches, pains, stiffness of the muscles?"

"Have you ever been tackled on concrete?" Frisco asked, looking at the doctor in disbelief. "Hell yeah, I hurt!"

"I still insist you go to the hospital. Better to be the safe side."

A hospital was the last thing he needed. "Relax. It's just a bump, I'm fine. I just need to rest for a little while."

The older doctor frowned resignedly, looking at him thoughtfully. "I can't force you to go, but I'll come back and check on you in a few minutes. Whatever you do, don't..."

"I know, don't go to sleep. I already got the lecture from Tony."

"Good. I hope you take that lecture seriously, Frisco." Alan patted his shoulder and walked back inside. 

Felicia shook her head. "Maybe you should listen to them. It can't hurt to let Tony take a couple x-rays, just to be sure."

"I'm fine, Felicia," Frisco barked, glaring at his ex-wife.

"You know, Frisco, one of these days you're not going to be okay and your stubbornness is going to make things worse."

"So noted."

"Fine," she replied, rolling her eyes. She spun around and walked off, he presumed to find Ned.

Brenda watched the older woman, then turned to face Frisco again. She gave him an unsure smile, concern still on her face. "Is there anything I can get you? Water, ice, aspirin?"

"No, I'm okay. But thanks for asking." He looked up at the beautiful brunette and flashed her a sly grin, albeit weakly. "Shouldn't you be off with your fiancé? If I were him, I wouldn't let a gorgeous woman like you out of my sight."

She giggled flirtatiously. "I just came out to talk to Jason and Sonny..." 

"Ah, yes, Jason," he replied amusedly. "The ol' ball and chain."

"Not for much longer," she told him decisively. "Anyway, I saw you over here and you looked hurt..." She brushed her bangs from her face. "Since you're okay, I guess I'll be going back inside now, too."

Frisco spotted Skye standing nearby, obviously waiting for Brenda to be gone. "I appreciate the concern, Brenda."

"No problem. Any friend of Robin's is a friend of mine."

Skye stepped forward as Brenda left, each woman shooting the other a dirty look as they passed. She pulled a chair next to Frisco's and handed him the cup in her hand. "I thought you could use a drink."

He gulped it down, surprised to find that it was vodka, not water. "I thought you were back on the wagon."

"I am, but you're not. I know it's probably the absolutely wrong thing to do, but I didn't think this was the time to preach the virtues of sobriety. You look like you've had enough trouble tonight."

He didn't know what to say to that. He knew what it had to have taken for her to bring the drink over to him and wait for the woman who took her husband to leave. That took strength he wasn't sure he had anymore and certainly more than she ever gave herself credit for. He took another drink. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." 

They sat in silence for a couple minutes. He took another drink, finishing it off. Skye touched his hand, steadying it. He put the cup down and stared at his hand. It was shaking. He hadn't even realized his hands had been shaking. He sighed wearily. So much for the calm, cool and collected professional.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Frisco?" she asked, worry in her voice. "You _really_ don't look like it."

"I think I would just like to be alone for a little while. Someplace where no one will ask me that question ever again."

Skye stood up and smiled. "I think I can accommodate that request." She helped him out of the chair and gently led him back into the hotel lobby.


	54. Chapter 54

Author's notes: Lyrics are "Blown Away" by Tripping Daisy.  
  


_I'm swimming all around in confusion  
It takes me for a ride  
Hearing the bells they're ringing  
I think I'll run and hide_

Frisco couldn't sleep, even if he wanted to. He was too unnerved, on edge. Skye had brought him to Lucy's suite, probably the emptiest place in the hotel since she was busy with the ball. She helped him clean up, get the soot and blood off his face. He almost felt human again. He'd immediately raided the suite's stash of alcohol after she'd gone back downstairs. 

Not even the alcohol was helping. The cobwebs had begun to clear from his mind, but he still felt so disconnected and his hands were still shaking. His pounding head was getting steadily worse, feeling more and more like someone was using a jackhammer on his skull. He wasn't sure if it was the booze or just his head. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.

He was laying on the sofa in the dark, his eyes closed. All he could see was the exploding building, over and over. He wasn't sure anymore which building it was, the one in Bogotá or Corinthos' warehouse.

A soft knock on the door interrupted the silence. The door opened and closed, but Frisco didn't bother moving to see who it was.

When he opened his eyes, Kevin was standing over him, hands in his pockets.

"Did I wake you?" he asked softly.

Frisco sat up tiredly. "No."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Why do people keep asking me that?" the agent shouted, his words slightly slurred. He punched the sofa cushions frustratedly and threw a pillow. "I am so sick of it! Do I look like I'm okay?"

"Maybe that's why people keeping asking," Kevin replied calmly.

"People should mind their own business," Frisco grumbled.

"Felicia said you'd been in some kind of explosion."

"Yeah, so?"

"You want to talk about it?"

He rolled his eyes with a half-hearted laugh. "I saw a building blow up. This isn't complicated psychological material."

"She was just concerned since you were a bit...off."

"Felicia needs to keep her nose in her own business."

"Frisco, it's okay to admit that you've been shaken by this."

Frisco laughed cynically. They'd been in therapy together for months now. There were times he felt like Kevin knew him better than he knew himself. But Kevin still didn't get it. This was just part of his career, pat of his life. This was not the first bomb he'd ever encountered. Bombs had routinely been part of his job for years. This should not have shaken him at all. That bothered him far worse.

"This isn't exactly out of the ordinary for me, but I'm hardly used to it," he told the psychiatrist, covering how he really felt. "I just need a little time to recover. That's all."

Kevin nodded understandingly. "Alright," he said, seemingly content with Frisco's excuse. "Alan Quartermaine is also concerned about you."

"He sent you up here?"

"No, I offered after Felicia asked me to check on you." He sat down next to his patient. "Do you know why Alan is so concerned?"

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to tell me anyway?"

"I really wish you'd be a little more serious about this, Frisco."

"I am okay, Kevin," the agent repeated. "I'm surprised Tony hasn't called you yet."

"Actually, Alan called him. Tony told him not to worry."

He was surprised. His older brother usually fell on the side of worry. "See?" he replied, smirking triumphantly. "He's the brain surgeon and he's not worried about me."

Kevin chuckled, matching Frisco's smirk. "Because he's sure you're going to pass out and end up in the ER by the end of the night. Both he and Alan are sure you've got a head injury."

Frisco's smirk faded to a resigned frown. "I should've known Tony wouldn't back me up on this."

"You should've known you couldn't fool him when it comes to your head."

"I think I'd like to be alone now, Kevin," he said.

"If you start getting tired, please let someone know."

Frisco slumped down, laying his head on the back of the sofa. He just stared at the ceiling as he heard the door close behind Kevin. He stretched back out, resting his head on an arm rest and sighed. God, he was so sick of people worrying about him.

~*~

Skye was shaking him frantically. Frisco's eyes fluttered open. The world was blurry and his head was still pounding. He could see two people kneeling next to him, a redhead and a blonde. He thought the blonde was Felicia, to his confusion.

"Frisco, you weren't supposed to fall asleep!" Skye slapped his face a couple times. He very weakly fought her. "I'm calling Alan," she said, rushing to the phone.

"I was just so tired," he mumbled, sitting up with Felicia's help. He looked at her. Up close he could see it wasn't Felicia at all, but his oldest daughter. "That's all."

Maxie pulled him to his feet, but he swayed, unable to stand on his own. The room was spinning so fast and he had no strength left. Frisco's eyes closed and fell back on the sofa. 

"Daddy!" Maxie shrieked, pulled down on top of him when he collapsed. She shook him, to no avail. "Skye, he's not waking up!"

Skye spun around. She ran a hand through her hair. "He's out cold," she told her own father. "I think we need an ambulance."

~*~

Next time Frisco awoke, he was in the emergency room. Tony sat on a stool next to the gurney, writing notes in a chart as he looked at some kind of x-ray.

"Tony?" he whispered groggily.

"You're awake," the doctor replied, a little surprised. "How do you feel?"

"There's enough fog in my head to set off all the fog alarms back home."

Tony set down the chart and pen with a sigh. "I should expect so. You took a pretty nasty blow to the head."

"Sam tackles pretty hard."

"She told me you lost consciousness."

Now Frisco was really confused. Granted, the details were a little fuzzy, but nothing was missing. "Huh? I was awake the whole time. I remember..."

"No, you weren't," he replied insistently. "Sam said you were thrown back by the blast and hit your head on the asphalt. When you came to, you tried to run into the fire. That's when she tackled you. She said something about you thinking she was Pedro, whoever that is."

"Her husband."

"Ah, the mysterious WSB agent husband none of us have ever met."

"I worked a case with him last year."

Tony sighed. "Let me guess. A building blew up and he tackled you, too?"

"Oh shut up. So how bad?"

"Congratulations little brother, you have a subdural hematoma."

"Wonderful."

"You're lucky. It's small and I'm confident it'll clear up on its own. But you're going hospitalized for a couple days so I can keep an eye on it."

"Tony..." Frisco groaned. 

Tony squeezed his brother's hand. "Go back to sleep," he ordered gently. "You need your rest. We'll talk about this later."

For once, Frisco followed doctor's orders without argument.

~*~

Frisco's skin was mildly burned from the heat, his left side throbbed. He numbly massaged his shoulder as Pedro speed them away from the scene. The bombing had been reported to the WSB's Colombian headquarters and the Bureau would deal with it. Frisco and Pedro had to get out before the cartel found out the whole team wasn't in the building.

Pedro just kept talking and talking and Frisco wasn't listening to him. He didn't care what the Colombian had to say. This was his own fault and nothing he said could change that.

Pedro punched him in the shoulder, glaring at him.

"Hey!" Frisco cried in pain.

"Man, I need to you to be on!" Pedro shot back irritatedly. "Blame yourself all you want in DC, but your mind needs to be on the job right now, mi amigo. I'd like to actually see my wife again."

The car was thrown on its side as another blast blinded them.

Frisco jumped in the bed. He looked around, unsure of where he was. The décor was too nice for the part of Colombia they were in and not institutional enough for the WSB. The building had blown up today, he thought. He could still see it, as if it was burned into his brain. Pedro had tackled him, he remembered clearly. But it wasn't Pedro's voice he heard in his mind.

_"Are you trying to kill yourself?"_

It was most definitely Sam's voice and the memories slowly resurfaced. The building he saw in his head wasn't in Bogotá. He was in Port Charles, in General Hospital. And he'd missed most of the Nurse's Ball because of a little bump on the head.

His room and the hallway outside were dark. He guessed he'd been asleep for hours, it was probably the middle of the night. His head still hurt like hell, but not quite as bad as before.

He laid in bed for a few minutes, just trying to go back to sleep, but he was no longer tired. At least not enough to sleep and his headache wasn't helping either. There was an investigation he should be part of, he could at least go check and see how things were going. He was now a material witness, Sam would want a statement from him. Might as well get it over with now. He slipped out of bed, shivering at the coldness of the tile floor on his bare feet. He looked through all the drawers and in closet. No surprise to him, his clothes were nowhere to be found. His brother's way of trying to keep him in bed.

"Damn you, Tony," he mumbled.

Frisco held the back of the hospital gown closed as he snuck out, not wishing to flash whoever was on graveyard shift. He knew where his brother kept a spare set of clothes and the lock was a cinch to pick.

~*~

By the time Frisco reached the burned out remains of Corinthos-Morgan Coffee, few police officers and firefighters were left. It was mostly forensics and the arson investigators digging through the still wet rubble. Not surprising, considering it was nearly 4am.

He moved between the emergency vehicles and leaned against one of the only remaining police cruisers, watching as a body bag was pulled out of the remains and placed on a gurney before being lifted into the coroner's van. 

Sam walked behind the victim, careful of where she stepped in her thin-strapped sandal heels. She was still in her silver dress with her straightened blonde hair pulled away from her face with a silver barrette, obviously fixed since she had messed up the simple hairdo tackling him. She wore a navy blue PCPD windbreaker over her dress, her detective badge dangling from a chain around her neck. She spotted him and smiled, heading to where Frisco was standing away from the action.

"Found Tony's stash, huh?" she teased, gesturing to his ill-fitting clothes.

Frisco rolled his eyes. "I had to," he said defensively, adjusting the pants that were a few sizes too big. "He hid my mine."

She shook her head knowingly. "I told Tony he needed to restrain you. Lack of clothes has never kept you from escaping the hospital before, especially when there's a juicy case to work."

His former partner knew him too well. "Your point?"

Stepping closer to him, she glanced around suspiciously. She pulled a folded up evidence bag out of the windbreaker's pocket and handed it to him, making sure her body blocked any view of the exchange from the crime scene. "Only three victims inside the building. That was on one of the bodies," she told him in a hushed voice.

Frisco looked at what was inside. It was a WSB badge, surprisingly only slightly scorched by the fire. But it was the name that set off alarms in his mind. Richard Berkley.

"Head of counter-terrorism, right?" she asked, leaning against the car next to him. 

"Why the hell would he be in that warehouse?" he said, more to himself than to her.

"You know his reputation from South America as well as I do, Frisco. I can think of a dozen reasons for him to be there, none of them good."

"Morgan was at the Nurse's Ball. If something that big was going down, wouldn't he be the guy handling it?"

"Maybe Sonny wanted Jason to have an alibi," she suggested. "It's also possible one of Sonny's lieutenants is working against him."

"Drugs, maybe? Would Pedro know if Berkley's using his cartel contacts again?"

Sam exhaled sharply and turned away from him, her head down. Frisco watched in confusion as she wiped her eyes.

"Sam?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She reached up and covered his hand with hers. She turned her head to look at him, tears in her eyes. "Pedro's dead, Frisco," she told him softly.

"What?" He was shocked, not sure he heard her correctly. Pedro Carraquilla was one of the WSB's best agents in South America, with contacts inside nearly all of the continent's large drug cartels. He was so deep undercover, most agents never knew they were working against one of their own.

"Sean and Tiffany came over before the ball. Sean wanted to tell me in person, I guess. Someone exposed him and he was executed two days ago."

"Oh god, Sam, I'm sorry." The words seemed so weak, so worthless, so hollow, but he didn't know what else to say. He never knew what to say to comfort someone he cared about.

"His younger brother pulled the trigger. _His own goddamn brother_," she told him angrily, venom in her trembling voice.

Frisco pulled her against him and held her tightly, remaining silent.

She let the tears fall, but still struggled against outright sobbing. "The Bureau can't even get his body out of Colombia for a proper funeral. He's just another star on the fucking Wall of Honor at headquarters."

He pressed his lips to her temple tenderly. "Why'd you come to the ball tonight, after hearing that?"

She turned around in his arms, wiping away her tears. "I was already dressed and Mac was on his way over. There just didn't seem any point in staying home tonight. It wouldn't change the fact my husband's dead." She shrugged, a weak smile on his face. "I didn't feel like sitting at home crying and I know Pedro wouldn't want me to. I was an agent, I worked with him inside the cartels. I know the risks of the job. I always knew this was a possibility. It was inevitable." She let out a humorless laugh. "That's love and marriage, WSB style."

His heart broke for her. He knew how much she loved Pedro, how much she had sacrificed for him, only to lose him now. "If you need anything at all, Sam..."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I know. I've got you to keep me occupied with work."

"I thought that was Mac's job."

She smiled slyly, sadness still evident in her face. "I neglected to mention the badge to him. Or anyone else. This is WSB territory. I knew Sean would want to handle this with as few people involved as possible."

"It might explain the mess Berkley passed on to me."

"Does it have anything to do with the sleeper cell Mac mentioned a while back?"

That's when the thought hit him. The meeting with Jason at the Outback.... Frisco dropped his arms and banged his head on the car. He should've seen it in the first place. It was retaliation for the break in. He hadn't gotten the chance to interrogate the intruder, so he didn't know any more than the pitifully small amount of information in the handwritten report. "Yes," he groaned. "And one of Sonny's soldiers broke into the warehouse that the cell is working out of, stole some vials."

"Retaliation?" she asked, puzzled. "This isn't exactly a covert action. Explosions tend to draw a lot attention in this country."

"Maybe they were covering the evidence," he theorized, thinking out loud. "My first instincts were that this was a mob attack. I should've seen it."

"Going after someone like Sonny Corinthos, making it look mob related would only make sense. Keeps the cops and Corinthos on the wrong trail."

"And provides the distraction of a war between families."

"It's what I would've done under the circumstances."

"Yeah," he agreed, shaking his head. "I should've seen it."

She grabbed his chin and turned his face so she could look into his eyes. "I'm sure you would've thought of this possibility earlier if you hadn't actually been _in_ the explosion."

Sean walked up to them, hands in his pockets and a displeased look on his face. "Frisco, you're supposed to be in the hospital."

Frisco smirked slyly, sharing an amused glance with his former partner. "I didn't realize anyone expected me to stay there."

The aging agent grudgingly gave Sam a bill, that she triumphantly tucked inside her dress. How much, Frisco couldn't tell. He looked between his two friends, stunned. "What did you do? Bet on my life again?"

"Easy money!" Sam told him smugly.

He had no idea what to say to that. Once was bad enough, but twice... "That's wonderful," he scoffed. "What great friends I have."

"Well, as your friend," Sean said in a no-nonsense tone, "I'm taking you back to the hospital."

"Good," Sam replied, smiling. "He has something to discuss with you."

Sean raised an intrigued eyebrow, glancing between them. "Really."

"I need to get back to work now. Remember you're supposed to be on the DL, Frisco."

They watched her walk back to the fire chief. "What's this you need to discuss with me?" Sean asked.

Frisco glanced back at the police and fire crews still working. He took a few steps, closing the gap between them. He handed him the evidence bag, his body blocking the view just as Sam's had. "We got a problem. A big problem."


	55. Chapter 55

Author's notes: No lyrics this time. Couldn't find any good lyrics for head injuries. ;) Rach, thank you as always. I think you're my only reader left on this one! 

Georgie was sitting by Frisco's bedside reading with her headphones on when Frisco woke, blinking at the bright light invading his sight. By the time he and Sean had gotten back to the hospital the previous evening, he had gone through the basics of what he suspected. Then the traitorous Sean made sure the nurses gave Frisco a sedative, the jerk.

He was groggy, between the drugs still in his system and the head injury. On the other hand, the nightmares didn't come to him again in his drugged up sleep. A small advantage to the drugs.

The pre-teen was curled up in a chair, bopping her head to the music blasting into her ears as she read a Hardy Boys book. He could hear the music from where he laid. She was going to blow her eardrums out at this rate.

He snickered. No way he just thought that, not him. Wherever his parents were now, they probably got a good laugh out of it. They had spent years telling him the same thing, not that he ever listened to them.

Georgie glanced over at him as she turned the page. Her whole face brightened at the sight of her conscious father. "Daddy! You're awake!" She excitedly climbed on the bed and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're awake now!"

"You weren't worried about the old man, were you?" he asked humorously as he hugged her back.

"No, of course not!" she replied quickly, almost cutting his question off. She looked away guiltily, a sure sign the girl was being untruthful. He nudged her. She looked at him reluctantly, a decisive scowl on her face. "Alright, I was," she admitted. An unsure smile appeared on her face. "But Maxie told me you would be okay." 

"She did, huh?"

"Yeah. She always makes me feel better when I'm scared or worried."

"I'm glad she's such a good big sister."

Georgie smiled proudly. "She's the best! She always takes care of me."

Her excitement brightened his mood. Before their mother's illness, Tony had been the same for him. "I'm glad. And she's right. I am going to be okay."

Her smile faded as her face turned to worry again. "Uncle Tony told Mom that you hit your head pretty hard and your brain was bleeding."

Frisco eyed his younger daughter. In her eagerness to pretend to be a spy, Georgie had picked up the nasty habit of listening to other people's conversations. "Were you listening when you weren't supposed to again?" he asked suspiciously.

She stiffened, knowing she was caught. But she lifted her chin proudly, not looking guilty for a second. "I was honing my listening skills," she insisted.

He got such a kick out of this kid sometimes. How she stuck to her guns was definitely a page out of his ex-wife's book. He could see totally see a teenage Felicia in that same pose, right or wrong, standing up for whatever she had just done, usually just to spite him. "How about honing your obeying skills, kiddo? You know your mother and I don't want you doing that."

"The Hardy Boys do it," she argued.

"You're not a Hardy Boy, sweetie, and you're not a spy. It's rude to listen to other people's conversations. You know better."

She frowned, pouting. Again she reminded Frisco of her mother. "It sucks being a kid," she grumbled.

"It's tough, I know," he commiserated, unsuccessfully hiding his smile. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "How did Maxie do last night?"

"She was good. I think someone might have taped it for you."

He wasn't even going to ask how she came across that information. "Good. I'm sorry I missed it."

The girl looked down nervously, something obviously on her mind. "Dad, was it scary when the building blew up?" she asked quietly.

He sighed, unsure of how to answer. The memory was unfortunately fresh in his mind, not that he wanted to think about it. "No, not really," he decided. "It happened so fast, I didn't have time to be scared."

"Do you ever get scared? You know, doing all the spy stuff."

Fear was a tricky thing in his business. Too much fear could get you killed, but so could not enough. It wasn't something that was ever discussed or admitted to. It was part of the life. The few agents he'd been close to, he knew always had some degree of fear, even long after retiring. Fear and paranoia were means of survival for a career agent. Knowing when to run like hell was one of the things that kept him alive. Had he not learned otherwise, the hotheaded fearlessness of his youth probably would've gotten him killed years ago.

But that wasn't something Frisco really wanted to explain to his young, impressionable daughter. Best to stick to the simplest, honest answer.

"Of course. It can be pretty scary stuff sometimes."

She thought for a moment, mulling over his words. "But spies aren't supposed to be scared. They're supposed to be brave."

"Brave doesn't mean you're not scared. Brave means and putting your fears aside to do what you have to."

Tony interrupted them. He walked into the room, chart in hand. "How are you feeling today?" he asked his patient.

"I have a headache," Frisco answered flatly.

The doctor glanced at his niece, a faint, amused smile on his face. "I should think so."

"So how long will it last, Mr. Brain Surgeon?"

"I don't know."

"Well, you're just full of information, aren't you?"

Tony patted Georgie's leg. "Why don't you go outside and let your dad and I talk?" he told her.

The young girl looked at her father. "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Frisco said firmly. She pouted, but did as she was told. "And no listening at the door! Got it?" he told her as she left.

Tony watched his niece, then turned back to his brother. "Gee Frisco, that almost sounded parental," he teased.

"Don't let it get out. I've got a rep to protect." 

Tony had a very serious look on his face. Whatever it was he had to say, Frisco knew it wasn't going to be good. 

"We did another CT-exam while you were asleep this morning."

"The bleeding clearing up?"

"No, but it hasn't gotten any worse since the last CT, which is a good sign."

"How long do these things take?"

Tony shrugged. "Days, weeks, sometimes months. No way to tell for sure."

Frisco sighed. That was too long. "I can't be out of commission for months, Tony."

"You won't be. As long as you're making progress, there's no reason you can't resume your life after a few days rest."

There was a silent but in there, he could tell this wasn't the end. "Okay."

The aging doctor looked squarely at him. The words came slowly and carefully. "You can't drink."

Frisco let out another sigh. Of course his brother wouldn't let an opportunity to lecture him go by. Tony never did, not since he'd come home at least. "Oh, boy. Another lecture."

"Yeah, another lecture," his older brother snapped. "Your drinking brought this on and drinking is only going to make it worse. This shouldn't have happened. There's not a doubt in my mind you would've just had a minor concussion if it weren't for the booze. But yet again, you've put yourself in a life-threatening situation."

"I didn't know the building was going to blow up!"

"I'm talking about your head! Hematomas are dangerous! They can be fatal!" Tony closed his eyes, collecting himself. "You were lucky, Frisco. Next time you might not be."

"Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that?"

"Eight," he sneered. "You're on life number nine now, _Andrew_."

Frisco looked away, remaining silent. 

Tony sighed. "Please take my advice on this," he said softly, almost pleading. His voice was laced with unspoken fear. "I'd like to keep my kid brother around for a while."

~*~

Brenda poked her head through the door, smiling when she saw that Frisco was awake. Tony had left a few minutes earlier, threatening his younger brother with more sedatives if he didn't get some rest. "Hi," the bubbly brunette said, entering the room, but stayed by the door. She glanced behind her, obviously not alone. "We're not disturbing you, are we?"

Frisco smiled weakly, disappointed that she wasn't one of his daughters. That was his hope for being stuck in the hospital, that he'd get to spend some time with the girls. "Nope, it's been like Grand Central Station in here today."

"Good." She walked in like she owned the place and sat in the bedside chair, Jax right behind her. "How are you feeling?" she asked, with the same concerned look as the night before.

"I've got a headache. But other than that, I'm just getting a little stir crazy."

Brenda sighed in relief. "You gave us all a little scare last night," she scolded him.

"Skye was really worried about you," Jax added.

Frisco could see the younger man judging him. As if Jax had any room to speak about Skye after the way he'd treated her. "So I've heard," he replied coolly.

Brenda watched anxiously as the two men just glared at each other. "Anyway, the reason we came by..." she said, digging into her purse. She pulled out a CD case and handed it to him. 

He looked at the gold colored disk through the clear plastic case. He didn't know what could be on the DVD, especially coming from Jax and Brenda. "What is this?"

"It's a DVD!" the brunette told him cheerfully.

A slow grin spread on his face. Talk about stating the obvious. "I got that much, Brenda."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, showing her slight embarrassment. "Robin asked us to video the Nurse's Ball for her. You know, Anna was speaking this year and you were performing, she wanted to see every single detail, since she was stuck in Paris working."

Frisco smiled at the mention of his goddaughter. He'd spoken to Robin a few times in the short time since Anna had moved in. She was excited about the Ball, disappointed that she couldn't attend, and was more than happy to tell both of them what to expect. "So she told me. About 50 times."

"Well, since you missed most the show, we made you an copy of it, too." 

"Thank you," he said, looking at both of them. "I appreciate it."

Brenda looked around. "I figured a workaholic like yourself would be working away on the ol' laptop, I thought you could watch it while you were stuck in this dreary place."

Frisco frowned, rolling his eyes. "My brother banned everything work related from this room. He says I won't rest if I have work sitting in front of me."

Brenda's eyes sparkled mischievously. "We'll just have to find you a DVD player, won't we?"

"Don't worry about it. Tony says I'll probably be out of here tomorrow and he's recruited Anna and Sean to make sure I don't work for the rest of the week. I'll have plenty of time to watch this when I get home."

"Since you're not going to be so busy with work, maybe you could stop by the club this week," Jax suggested.

The brunette perked up. "Yes! That's a great idea!"

Always with the club. Frisco didn't really want to go, but he didn't really want to alienate friends of Robin's, especially after Brenda had been so kind to him last night. "We'll see how I feel," he replied, trying to turn the offer down diplomatically. 

The blond Aussie smirked, as if he knew what Frisco was trying to do. "So rest up and bring Alexis this weekend," he said.

"I won't take no for an answer," Brenda added.

She was looking at him so determinedly. Frisco just couldn't turn her down. "How about you call me at the end of the week and ask me again?"

She extended her hand, a satisfied grin on her face. "Deal."

Bobbie knocked as she opened the door. "I hate to cut this visit short..." she said, smiling at Brenda and Jax. "But I need to borrow this patient."

The brunette turned back to Frisco. "You rest and I will call, you can bet on it," she said as she stood up.

"Get better," Jax told him as he and a waving Brenda walked to the door Bobbie was holding open for them.

Bobbie closed the door behind the visitors, leaving her alone with her patient. Frisco looked anxiously at his ex-sister-in-law. "Tony sent you in here, didn't he?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"You need your rest," the redhead reminded him.

"I'm resting, Bobbie."

"He wants you to sleep."

"I'll go to sleep," he argued weakly. "I don't need any more drugs. They make me so groggy. I don't like it."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, I have my orders. And that's to make sure you get some uninterrupted rest, which he doesn't think you'll get on your own." She pulled out a syringe out of her coat pocket and reached for his IV.

Frisco moved it from Bobbie's reach. "Please no drugs, Bobbie," he pleaded.

She wasn't giving in. In fact, she looked amused more than anything else. "Oh suck it up, Frisco." She pushed the medicine into the IV and tossed the syringe in the trash. 

Frisco scowled. "Traitor," he grumbled.

She sat on the edge of the bed and brushed the hair from his forehead. Her voice was gentle. "How's your head?" 

He could feel the drugs already starting to take affect. "It hurts."

"I'll see if I can you something for that."

Frisco's eyelids became very heavy as he struggled to stay awake. "Thanks," he whispered.

Bobbie's smile was the last thing Frisco saw. Darkness overcame him and he surrendered to sleep again.

~*~

Frisco vaguely heard the chatting in his mind. He struggled to consciousness, squinting his eyes against the bright light. A redhead and a brunette came into view as the blurriness faded.

Skye and Alexis chatted at his bedside, about what Frisco didn't know or really care what. He closed his eyes, dozing off again.

A closing door startled him. His eyes shot open. His body tensed as he looked around. He relaxed, seeing Alexis sitting alone beside him.

She smiled. "About time you woke up," she told him. "Skye and I were beginning to think you were avoiding us."

"No," he replied, weakly shaking his head, "my brother's being a jerk. He keeps knocking me out."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she laughed. "Blame Tony."

Frisco cracked a grin. "It's all his fault," he joked, rubbing his still sleepy eyes.

"You ditched me last night."

It didn't sound much like an accusation and she certainly didn't sound upset, but he apologized all the same. "I'm sorry," he said regretfully. "I didn't mean to leave you alone like that."

"I had to spend all night with my _brother_, who was also ditched."

"All night with Stefan? You poor thing."

Alexis looked at him, narrowing her eyes overdramatically. "I think you need to be punished."

"Coming from a Cassadine, that's a frightening statement. Should I be afraid?"

"Yes. It means you get to spend the Fourth of July on Spoon Island with my family."

"I'll bring the poison," he joked.

"Wonderful. We're partial to cyanide." 

Frisco laughed humorlessly. Cyanide, the tool of intelligence agencies all over the world, the WSB included. "So what does a Cassadine holiday involve?" he asked, pushing the thought of poison out of his mind. "I can't see Stefan in front of a barbeque grill wearing some silly apron with 'God Bless America' printed on it."

Alexis giggled at that description. "We go to the fair in the park, Mrs. Landsbury fixes a picnic dinner, we eat outside and watch the fireworks."

"I'm shocked. That actually sounds normal."

"I know," she sighed dramatically. "We're such terrible Cassadines. Always associating with the peasants and participating in such common activities."

"Heaven forbid," he snickered.

She smiled faded and she suddenly looked very serious. "I had an alternate reason for inviting you as well."

Alternate? Granted, he wasn't the most fun person to be around lately, but she never seemed to have a problem with his company before. So why the excuse now? "And that is?" he asked apprehensively.

"Nikolas, Lucky, Lulu and I had a long talk last night after the ball. Nikolas has decided to ask for custody of Lulu," she told him, pausing for that to sink in. "Lulu wants Luke to be served with the papers before she comes over on Friday."

Now it made sense. Luke would be enraged by the move and probably would storm the island the second he got those papers. "She's afraid he'll show up at the island," he finished for her, nodding understandingly.

"Lucky is. Lulu thought it would be best if you talked to Luke. She said you could make him understand. What did you say to her last night?"

He shrugged. "I don't know if he'll take it any better coming from me."

Before Alexis could respond, Skye walked back into the room, carrying two cups. "Look who finally decided to grace us with his presence," she said sarcastically, handing Alexis one of the cups. 

"I'm practicing for Sleeping Beauty tryouts."

"I'll save you the effort. Beauty you are not," she teased.

Frisco rolled his eyes as Alexis laughed. "You need to look in the mirror."

"You've got your fairy tales mixed up. I believe that's Snow White."

"Whatever."

Alexis and Skye looked at each other. The redhead cocked her head back, gesturing to the door.

Alexis nodded and stood up. "I've got some paperwork to get started on." She leaned over the bed, brushing her lips gently across Frisco's. "I'll stop by tomorrow," she whispered. 

"Have fun with those papers," he said with a knowing smirk.

"You know I will," she replied derisively, nearly groaning. As she passed the redhead, "I'll call you tomorrow about that other matter."

"I appreciate it, Alexis." 

Skye waited until the door had closed behind the departing woman to sit down.

Frisco sighed. It was obvious from the way the two women were acting, his ex-wife wanted to speak to him alone. Why, he could only guess. "What'd you get rid of her for?"

"So we could talk privately."

"About?"

"Sobriety," she answered with a sigh.

He hadn't expected that answer, but he wasn't entirely surprised after Tony's visit earlier. His brother went to the most logical recruit to his cause. "Tony talked to you, didn't he?"

"Yes, he did." Skye leaned forward, resting her elbows on her crossed knees. "We just want to keep you around and healthy, Frisco."

Frisco snorted. "It's always about what everyone else wants."

"Hey, I'm not Tony!" she snapped angrily. "I know about all about alcoholism. I know all about that craving you can't make go away. I know all about burying yourself in a bottle. You can't blow me off like you did him."

Her words hit a little too close to home. "I don't want to talk about it, Skye," he shot back.

"Too bad. We're talking about it." She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Look, if you can't lay off for yourself, could you lay off for your daughters, at least until the hematoma clears up? You don't want to leave them fatherless, do you?"

Frisco sighed, looking away. "They'd still have Mac," he said ruefully.

She reached out and squeezed her ex-husband's hand. "For everything that Mac has been to them, he's not you. You know damn well what it feels like to lose a parent."

Skye was right. Losing his mother had ripped his life apart, something he'd never truly recovered from. That was a pain he wouldn't ever wish on them, even with Mac right there, ready and more than willing, to step into his place.

"I'm here to help you get through this," she added softly. "Alan would be happy to talk, if you need it. And as much as it pains me to say it," she winced in disgust, "Brenda too." She practically spit out the other woman's name. "We all know what addiction is like."

"I don't need your help. I can stop on my own."

She smirked. "Right. Like I haven't uttered that one before." She shook her head and grabbed her purse. "I'll let you get back to sleep."

Frisco silently watched her leave. He rolled over, trying to will away the urge for a drink.  



	56. Chapter 56

Author's notes: Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Writing is a bit slow in going at the moment. Lyrics are "Broken Dreams" by Angel. Thanks, Rach. :)

----

_Broken hearts and broken dreams,  
Are what I've made my life it seems  
Little children soon grow old  
So that's what I'm taught and told  
I can't explain the pains I hide  
No matter how I try and try  
Everything I do seems wrong,  
Ever since the day I was born. _

Frisco waited until the nurse had disappeared to open his eyes. It took him no time at all to figure out that when they thought he was asleep, Tony's nursing staff spies were less inclined to keep an eye on him.

He slid out of bed and slipped on the fuzzy slippers his daughters had brought him. The gown was gone, he was wearing scrub pants and a t-shirt. He opened the door a crack, enough to see that the hallway was empty. He glanced the other direction as he left the room.

Tony had made sure his room was close to the nurses' station, in an effort to keep him in his room. The stairs were too far away, the elevators were his best chance. The only one at the desk was Amy, who was busy with her back turned to him. He crept silently along the wall towards the elevators, continuously glancing between Amy and the elevator doors.

He was nearly to the elevators when Amy turned around.

"Hey mister!" she cried, slamming the file in her hands down on the counter.

Frisco flinched at the sound. He was caught. He turned his head to see her glaring at him, hands on her hips.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Frisco smiled flirtatiously at the blonde. "Just going for a little walk, Amy."

She nodded dubiously. "A little walk right on out of the hospital, I bet."

"I was just going to go upstairs."

"Uh huh," she replied, walking around the nurses' station to confront him. "Tell me another good one."

He sighed. "I just want to go see Liz," he confessed softly.

"And you had to sneak out to do that?"

"Tony practically has me under arrest!"

"For good reason after that stunt you pulled the other night!"

"Well, excuse me for trying to do my job!"

"Your job is the reason you're in here!"

"Aw, come on, Amy!" he pleaded. "You can pretend you never saw me and it'll just be between the two of us."

"Your brother would kill me. You're supposed to be resting."

"Just for a little while. Please?" He gave her his best lost puppy dog look, the one he perfected with his mother. No female had been able to resist it yet.

She sighed. "Alright," she said reluctantly.

It worked again, he cheered silently. He flashed a big grin. "You're my favorite of Tony's girlfriends."

Amy turned and walked back to the desk. "I already said yes. You don't need to keep laying it on."

The elevator doors opened. "Thanks, Amy!" he said as he rushed inside.

----

Elizabeth was in intensive care, at least until she regained consciousness. Frisco stepped into the ICU waiting room awkwardly. A few people sat around the room chatting, a TV was in a corner, set to a news station, the double doors leading into the ICU opened and shut as people passed through. As would be expected, it was pretty depressing.

He recognized Tommy Hardy laying alone on one of the couches, asleep.

Audrey stepped through the doors and spotted him immediately. "Frisco! Shouldn't you be in bed?" she asked, sounding like the nurse she was.

"How's Elizabeth?"

"She's doing better actually. The swelling is going down. Tony thinks she could wake up at any time."

"Have you called Jeff?"

"Sean Donley contacted the Red Cross and got a message through to him last night. He should be here in a couple hours."

A few more hours until execution. "That's good," Frisco replied politely.

"Do you want to go in and see her?" she asked. "Just for a little bit, of course."

The agent gave her an appreciative grin. "Yeah, I would."

Audrey gestured for him to follow her. They passed through the doors, walking into the stark, sterile hall. Glass doors covered the far wall, all the way around the active nurses' station. Talking was kept to hushed tones, broken by the beeping of the machines.

She stopped and pointed to Liz's room, at the far end of the unit. Frisco could see Lucky at her side, softly playing a guitar. The petite brunette looked even tinier laying in the large hospital bed, hooked up to so many machines, her face pale.

Frisco stopped in the doorway. Lucky was singing to her. The young man stopped when he saw him. "How ya feelin', Frisco?"

Frisco stepped inside the room. "I've been better."

"You just missed Tony."

"Audrey said she's doing better."

"Tony sounded pretty optimistic." Lucky looked back at his former girlfriend. "I thought maybe if I sang to her, she might wake up and remind me we're not sixteen and hiding out in the boxcar anymore."

"I guess it's better than doing nothing. Lansing been here?"

The look on Lucky's face was answer enough. Liz's current boyfriend was obviously a sore subject. "He was here for a minute. Audrey had him kicked out."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. I have never seen her like that. She went off on the guy and had the nurse call security."

"Why?"

"She blames him for..." He nodded to Liz. "He was the one who wanted to go outside. He works for the mob. She even said she wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who set the bomb. She was pissed."

Audrey Hardy was one of the nicest women Frisco had ever met, he couldn't imagine her actually that angry. "I don't think he's got the guts for that."

"I don't care. I don't trust him."

With good reason, Frisco agreed silently. But he still couldn't help feeling responsible.

Lucky stood, guitar in hand. "I think I'll leave you two alone for awhile."

Frisco waited until the young man had left to sit down. He dragged a chair right next to her bed. He sighed heavily. "I don't know what to say," he admitted. "You know, last time I was in this ICU, things didn't turn out so good." Another brunette flashed in his mind. "My sister-in-law Tania was hit by a car. She was bleeding internally and the doctors couldn't stop it. She was a cute little brunette too. She was warm and caring. Loved art too." He sighed. "I truly loved her. She was like a sister, which is kinda funny because she was actually my girlfriend first. I was madly in love with her, then in comes my big brother the perfect doctor, trying to romance her away from me. I guess you know how that feels. Then I met Felicia…" He chuckled anxiously. "I'm rambling and you're not going to remember any of this. Not that you'd particularly be interested in my life story anyway."

He took the small hand in his own. "You need to wake up, Elizabeth. There's a lot of people who care about you and are worried about you right now. Making family worry, that's my job and I'm an expert at it. Why don't you leave that to me, huh?"

----

Audrey had kicked Frisco out after only a few minutes, telling him he needed to rest himself after his own head injury. She'd had Lucky escort him back to his room when he'd protested.

However, another young man was waiting for him in his room. Will.

"Sir," he said, standing as Frisco and Lucky entered the room. "I just came by to see how you are."

Frisco spotted the files Will was trying to hide and turned to Lucky. "Why don't you go back to Elizabeth."

"Are you going to actually stay here?" Lucky asked dubiously.

"Get out of here, kid."

Lucky just shrugged and left.

As soon as the door closed, Frisco was onto Will. "What are you really doing here?"

"I thought you might want to see this, sir." He pulled out the top file and handed it to his boss.

Frisco opened it and began to read. It was a transcript of a telephone conversation with Enrique Montoya. "You got this off of Echelon?"

"Yes. The file code is listed if you want to listen to it."

"It's really him?" Frisco asked, sitting down on the bed.

"Sounded like it to me. And it traced back to his office phone," Will replied quietly. "This may not be my place, but that conversation is something that needs to be dealt with."

Frisco flipped through a few pages, then closed the file. He'd seen enough to know the young man was right. "Who else has seen this?"

"No one. You told me you didn't want Agent Devane involved."

"I want you to put this in my car while she's working," Frisco told him, handing him back the file. "There's a small document holder on the underside of the driver's seat."

Will pulled out a pen. "Yes, sir," he said, writing a note on the legal pad he'd brought with him. He'd obviously written a list of updates, something Frisco would have to remember when reviews came around.

"What else do you have for me?"

Will handed him the next file. "Tox report on the vials from that warehouse."

It looked like a standard scientific report, but lacking certain information. The substances weren't ones Frisco recognized. "The lab didn't tell you what they're used for?"

"What they gave me is in that file."

He handed the file back. "Find out more about those chemicals. And make sure it's in plain English."

"I'll get on it first thing tomorrow."

"Next."

Will looked at the paper, using his finger to keep track. "The victim from Pine Valley has been identified."

"Good, but it's Anna's case. Next."

"Okay," he replied, his finger moving to the next item. "A little birdie wants to talk to you about the bombing at the ball."

Nikita. At least he could find out what was going on with the mafia angle. "Okay. I'll take care of it when I get released."

Will handed him another file. "Intelligence reports Director Donley asked me to pulled together on Berkley."

"Let him and Anna deal with it for now. I'll look it over when I get back to work." It suddenly occurred to him, the truth was probably skirted in the official files. "Tell Anna to buy Samantha Welles lunch if she wants a better picture of him."

"Someone in counter-terrorism sent you another boxes of files."

"I'm sure it can wait, but go through it. If there's anything that absolutely needs to be dealt with immediately, pass it on to Donley."

"There's some expense reports…"

Frisco groaned. Accounting, the absolute worst part of his job. "Bring those near me and I'll black box you! Give 'em to Donely!"

A knock on the door startled them. Will rushed to grab the files as the door opened.

"Hello?" a feminine voice said.

Frisco was surprised to see Maria Santos Gray's head to pop through the doorway. "Maria?"

She looked at the files Will was trying to hide. "Am I interrupting work? Most people use hospital stays to get away from work."

A grin appeared at the corners of his mouth. "I'm not most people."

"So I've learned."

Will looked between them, although his gaze seemed to stop short of Maria's face. "I, uh, am going to, um, go back to…" he stammered.

"You have your orders."

The young man smiled at Maria. "Uh, yeah. I'll be going…" He left, checking out the view of Maria from behind as he walked through the door.

Frisco snickered, laying back on the pillows. "I think he likes you."

"I guess I should be flattered," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"So, what brings you to Port Charles? Tony decide he needs help with me?"

"One of my patients is in ICU here. The family asked me to come and consult. Strange place, strange hospital... I think they just needed reassurance that what Tony was telling them was right."

"And here I was, thinking I was special." Maria laughed. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"I saw you upstairs and asked about you. Tony told me you'd been hurt. Something about a bomb at a ball?"

"Attack on a local mobster. I was just an innocent bystander."

"I question the innocent part."

Frisco chuckled. "In this I am."

"Well, you were out of bed and working, I assume you're doing better?"

"Yeah, it's just a headache now. Don't know why Tony insists on me staying in here."

"What would he say if I told him you were working?" she asked, amused.

"Probably a few choice words that shouldn't be repeated, followed by a call to have me restrained."

"Oh come on! Restraints wouldn't really be necessary, would they?"

"Tony likes to make sure his point gets across in the bossiest way possible."

"That's what older brothers are for. When are you supposed to be released?"

Frisco shrugged. "If I'm good, tomorrow. If he finds out I've been working, probably not anytime soon."

Maria smiled. "I'll keep my lips zipped, in that case."

"I'd appreciate it," he replied with a sigh. "I am so sick of this place."

----

Frisco was asleep when a shadowy figure entered his room. The figure quietly closed the door and approached the bed. A hand reached out and touched Frisco's shoulder, startling him awake.

He reached for his gun. Or more appropriately where his gun should be, had he been in his own bed.

The figure turned on the overhead lamp, flooding the darkened room with a little light.

"Jeff?" Frisco asked confusedly, not sure if he was seeing things or if the doctor was really there.

"Yeah. I just got in."

"So what are you doing here?" he asked, sleepily. "ICU is upstairs."

"I wanted to know what happened to my little girl. You were obviously there."

"A bomb went off."

"Just give to me straight, Frisco. I don't want to play this game with you."

Frisco sighed. He was tired and in no mood for a debrief. "That's what happened. A car bomb went off in the parking lot of the Port Charles Hotel during the Nurses' Ball. Elizabeth was outside with the guy she's dating when it happened."

"Who set the bomb?"

"I don't know. It was directed at Sonny Corinthos."

"That name sounds familiar."

"I think he was friends with her at some point. Jason Morgan works for him and..." Frisco hesitated. "So does the guy she's seeing now. Sort of."

"What kind of 'sort of'?"

"He's one of ours. Kinda slimey, too."

"He's an agent."

"I'm so sorry, Jeff. I tried to warn her off, tried to get her to stay away from the mob guys... Hell, I warned him off and threatened him with a black box. But she's just stuck on Lansing for some reason."

"Ric Lansing?"

"I take it you know him."

"Unfortunately." Jeff shook his head. "I appreciate you looking out for my kid."

"I tried to, Jeff. I really did. I'm sorry she got hurt because of one of my guys."

"I'm sure you did your best, but you have to know Lizzie. She's rebellious and independent, always has been. Unless it's something she wants to hear, it goes in one ear and out the other."

"Sounds familiar."

Jeff chuckled halfheartedly. "Yeah. Frisco, this is just a lesson she has to learn on her own."

"If she's any more like me, it'll take her a while."

"Probably." Jeff stood up. "I'm going to go upstairs now."

"I hope she gets better soon. If you need anything, let me know."

"You'll definitely be hearing from me again. I want the truth on the wild stories going around about you."

Frisco's eyes shot wide open. "What wild stories?" he asked, sitting up. But the door closing was the only answered he received.


	57. Chapter 57

**Author's Notes:** **This story is now officially on permanent hiatus and is being marked complete so no one will expect updates. It is _not_ finished.**

I pretty much dropped out of GH fandom years ago, and have since lost all inspiration (plus my original notes) for this story. I held off posting what I had left, hoping I'd be able to finish it eventually, but that hasn't happened and these days I have very little time to write. So this are the scenes I'd finished with when I stopped. Most of them are shortly after where I left off at the end of Chapter 56; the last scene is much further out (it had originally been somewhere in the last couple chapters, but didn't fit in well at that point in the story), after Frisco's finally broken down. There are bits missing in between the unconnected scenes, scenes I'd never gotten around to writing more than notes or a few lines of dialogue for.

Those of you that stuck with me while I was posting, or came along afterwards, thank you. I've appreciated the support and I'm sorry I couldn't finish. :-)

* * *

Not working and just sitting around the house drove Frisco nuts. Especially since he knew he had a lot of work to do. Tony had given Anna strict orders that he wasn't to work, orders Anna was following to the letter. She was even staying at the office when she worked late, rather than bringing the files back to the house. He tried to find out more about the bombing, but no one would answer his questions. He'd pressured Will, but the young man told him that Agent Devane had physically threatened him. Figured.

He wasn't getting many visitors either, not like he'd had in the hospital. Maria had gone back to Pine Valley and Paul back to California. Tony was busy working. Jeff and Lucky were staying close to Liz, who was still in the hospital but fortunately had regained consciousness. Felicia was busy on a hot case. Luke was avoiding him after being threatened by Felicia, Tony and Bobbie. Maxie was ignoring him for not preventing her scummy boyfriend from being arrested. Lucas was visiting with his Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Sean and cousin Anna while he had the chance. Georgie and Lulu were busy packing Lulu's things and driving Cassadines crazy. Alexis and Skye were spending a lot of time together, but he had no idea what they were up to. Alexis had cancelled their plans to go to Club 101, something he was supremely grateful for. Spending the evening with Jax and Brenda wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities.

By Friday, Frisco was ready to crawl out of his skin. There was only so much TV he could watch before he wanted to shoot the thing.

Frisco arrived at the hospital for his appointment. Tony had insisted on seeing him, just to make sure his head was clearing. The doctor was satisfied with his improvement for the moment and directed him to the room Liz had been moved to.

He knocked on the door before entering. "Hello?"

Audrey immediately smiled from her chair, close to the door. "Frisco, how are you feeling?"

He could see Jeff on the other side of the room. He gave the man a little wave. "Okay," he answered.

"I hear I'm not the only one who got conked," Liz said weakly.

Her voice caught him off guard. He hadn't realized she'd woken up. "At least it wasn't me freaking everyone out this time," he joked. He took her hand in his own. "How's the head?"

"It's down to a dull ache right now."

He glanced at Jeff with a mischievous grin. "Probably got you good and doped up, huh?"

"I made sure she got the good stuff," Jeff told him.

"Of course."

* * *

The Fourth of July in Port Charles meant one thing- the fair. Everyone in town went and Frisco was no exception. He was spending the day with Alexis. He skipped the parade, he didn't want to be around all those people. Alexis arrived at his place in the early afternoon, explaining that she had been detained at the Quartermaines when she dropped off Kristina to spend the holiday with Ned.

The fair was something he enjoyed going to in years past, but the noise just throbbed in his head. His headache had not yet subsided, unfortunately. They didn't stay long, just long enough for Frisco to enjoy Tony being in the dunking booth. The plan was to join the Cassadines at Wyndamere.

Stepping off the launch, Frisco and Alexis could smell the grill. He hadn't expected that, being displaced royalty and all. He was expecting some fancy meal prepared by their cook, and served in the dining room. The two proceeded to the terrace.

Alexis reached the terrace first, stifling a laugh as she did. Stefan was indeed at the grill, cooking utensils in hand, with an apron saying "God Bless America" in red, white and blue. Frisco was momentarily blinded by the flash on Lucky's camera, as he shot of photo of the agent's reaction. The young man sat next to his brother Nikolas, who was smiling madly, at a patio table. He also quickly snapped off a photo of Stefan.

"I did not authorize any photos of me, young man," Stefan said irritatedly, scolding Lucky.

"But I did," Nikolas replied, still laughing.

"Did you really think I was going to let this pass without photographic evidence?" Lucky asked with a smirk, putting down the camera. "Count Vlad behaving like a normal person, now that's something I want to blow up and frame."

"I definitely want a copy of that," Frisco piped in.

"So do I," Alexis added. "It's something I can blackmail you with later, brother."

Stefan shook his head as he took off the apron. "If that's the best you can do..."

"To humiliate you, I'd say that picture would be more than sufficient."

"And how do you think you are going to accomplish that?"

"Maybe I'll let Luke figure it out for me."

Stefan shot her a dirty look as Frisco and Lucky laughed.

"Them's fighting words," Lucky joked.

"May I remind you, _sister_, that this was _your_ idea?"

Mrs. Landsbury came out carrying a tray of food. She set the tray down on the table and turned to Alexis and Frisco. "Ms. Davis, Agent Jones, may I get you a drink?"

"Ice tea would be wonderful," Alexis told her.

"Vodka," Frisco said.

"_No_," she insisted. "No alcohol."

"I'll bring you a soda," the older woman said, exiting back into the house.

Frisco sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Alexis mentioned that you're not to have alcohol because of your injury," Stefan remarked. "She requested that we not serve you any and Mrs. Landsbury has been instructed as such."

He shot Alexis a dirty look. "Of course, she did."

"Just looking out for you," she told him, smiling. "I'm not done with you yet."

"That's what they all say."

"God, you sound like my dad when he's on one of his benders," Lucky groaned.

"Gee, such a wonderful comparison! I feel so special!"

"I know, makes you all warm and fuzzy inside, doesn't it?"

A small blast drew their attention to the gardens. The hair on the back of Frisco's neck stood up as he stiffened, looking around for unfriendlies. He didn't hear Nikolas and Lucky yelling for their sister. Alexis' hand on his shoulder didn't register. Not until he heard two young, female giggles.

His heart skipped a beat when he realized one of the voices was Georgie's.

It took a moment for him to pull himself together enough to add his voice to Lulu's brothers.

The two girls came out of the bushes, attempting to look innocent. Lulu didn't do too bad, but Georgie failed miserably. The girl had yet to learn the fine art of lying.

* * *

"What's the plan?" Anna asked as she and Frisco loaded gear into the trunk of one of the WSB's surveillance sedans. Both were dressed in black fatigues with long sleeve t-shirts, and Anna had her hair pulled back in a ponytail. "We're supposed to meet Taggart, then what?"

They got into the car. "We're going to do the penthouses. You're going to set up on the software side," he said, driving the short distance to the docks. "Then we ditch him and you and I are going to hit the warehouse."

"I thought you were leaving that to Lansing."

"No, I want to make sure it's done right. I don't trust him to get it done."

They stopped outside of the Outback, where they found Taggart already waiting for them.

"Okay, I'm here," the detective said, walking up to the open passenger side window. He was dressed the same as the agents, just as Frisco had requested.

Frisco jumped out of the car, popping the trunk. He walked to the back of the car and pulled out a small tackle box. "Come here," he said to the other two. He opened the box. Inside were various tools he used out in the field. Latex, lock picking tools, brushes, adhesives, camouflage makeup, sodium pentothal, acupuncture needles, suture kit, small tool kit...

"What's all in there?"

"Tools. Hold out your hands." Taggart did as he was asked. Frisco spun the lid off the jar and

pulled out a small foam paint brush. He dipped the brush into the black liquid and started applying it the younger man's palms. Thin coats, just enough to mask the ridges of the skin.

"What is that?"

"Latex. Hides your fingerprints and is easier to work with than gloves," he said, coating the back of the hands as well. "Camouflage," he said, predicting the next question. "Makeup smudges and leaves traces behind. Latex is better for hands. It doesn't wipe off. But you can't touch it until it dries."

Anna was digging through the box. "You're going to have to explain some of these things to me. We did not carry all these things around before."

"Just things I tend to use," he told her. "Your turn." Anna held her hands out and Frisco applied the latex to her hands as well.

"Why do I need mine done?"

"Might as well do it all at once."

He set aside the jar and pulled out another box. He opened it and handed the miniradio to Anna. "Everything seems to have gotten smaller," she said in awe. "This is basically a hearing aid with a wire."

"That's exactly what it is," he teased as he handed one to Taggart. The detective just looked at in confusion. Frisco smiled. He flipped the little switch on the ear piece. "Just wrap the wire around your ear," he told him. "The mic's sensitive enough to pick up a whisper loud and clear."

"Cool," Taggart said, grinning.

"When we get in there, no unnecessary talking. If you have any questions, save 'em. Do exactly what I tell you and how I tell you to do it."

"Got it. What's the plan?"

"When Sam calls to let us know the arrest went down, we go in through a service entrance. We hook up a remote to give Anna control of the building. She creates a diversion, gets rid of the rent-a-cop at the front. We take the elevator to the top. If Sam manages to arrest the guards, we'll install the video before we go up to the roof."

"Why not just use the door?"

"Doors won't be unguarded for long. We won't be able to get out that way. Besides, it's better that the doors look untouched."

Frisco pulled out what looked like big suspenders with a harness attached. He handed one to Taggart and stepped into the other one himself, tightening it. The detective copied his actions. He opened what looked like a camera bag. He passed small flashlights to both Taggart and Anna. He handed Taggart a box and a tube.

Taggart opened the box curiously. "These are different from the ones you showed us," he said, lightly touching the devices inside.

"These are a bit more permanent. You glue them to a surface with that adhesive. Lasts about a few months."

"Then we have to go back?"

"No, case should be done by then," the agent answered confidently. "Let's go. I want to be outside the building when Sam calls."

* * *

Frisco stopped the car in a dark corner in view of Haborview Towers. The police cars were still in front of the building. He checked his watch. Sam was running late. She and Mac should've been out of there by now.

He'd made sure Lansing and some of Sonny's other associates were out of pocket in the time frame of the arrest, forcing Carly to go to the station with her husband. Jason and Courtney had gone out, so both penthouses should be empty when they went in.

He slipped off his baseball cap and looked in the rearview mirror as he covered his face and neck in the black makeup.

A group of officers came out of the building, leading several men in handcuffs, Sonny Corinthos included. Frisco's cell phone rang just as he spotted Sam. "Yeah?"

"That shadow you?"

Frisco chuckled. The surveillance car was a black, late model Accord with tinted windows and black interior. Both the windows and the body had an anti-reflective coating on them, making the car almost indistinguishable in low light conditions. "If it looks like a car, yes."

"I've got Corinthos and the guards, Mac's going after Morgan. Sonny left instructions with the desk, I figure you've got twenty minutes before the new guards show up. Both penthouses are clear and the motion detectors have been dropped."

"Thanks," he said, checking his watch. He hung up the phone and tossed it to Anna. "Check the sensors."

She opened the computer built in place of the glove compartment, flipping up the display and pulling out the keyboard/mouse. After a few keystrokes, a model of the building popped up on the screen, dots flashing in various places. "All operational."

"Set an alarm for fifteen minutes," he told her, putting the cap back on. He turned back to the detective in the back seat. "Let's go."

The two men snuck across the street and stealthily made their way down the alley next the building. At the far end of the alley was a door. Frisco tried the knob first, but found it was locked. He removed the little toolkit and quickly picked the lock. They found themselves in a mechanical type room. Frisco looked around for the control box.

Taggart just watched as the agent picked the lock on the box, attached a small black box to several of the connecters, and then relocked it. Frisco signaled for him to follow and they maneuvered through the room to the door.

"It's done, we're going for the elevator," Frisco reported back to Anna in a hushed tone.

"Roger."

The door opened to a short hallway and another door. Frisco slowly opened the second door and peaked out, waiting for Anna's distraction. Suddenly a bright light filled the room, followed quickly by a loud boom. The desk guard rushed out of the building, trying to see what blew up.

As soon as the guy was out the door, Frisco rushed out of hallway and into the opening elevator, Taggart on his heels. "We're in."

"Next stop, penthouse."

Frisco's hand unconsciously rested on the holstered gun. He drew the weapon when the elevator doors opened and slowly moved into the hallway, prepared to fire. It was empty, as Sam had arranged. He put the gun back into the holster and fished out a box from the bag. He glanced up at the ceiling. It was too high for him to reach on his own.

Taggart had the same thought and pointed out the chair from next to Sonny's door. Frisco handed the younger man the box and removed a small drill, barely bigger than a pen. He looked back at the other penthouse and the elevator before drilling a hole in the wall, a centimeter below the ceiling. He leaned sideways towards Taggart and pointed the box. The detective held it open for Frisco. The agent grabbed one of the tiny cameras and inserted it into the hole, flipping the switch for the device's claws to fasten to drywall.

"Can you see it?" he asked.

Taggart just shook his head. The camera was in the corner, between two walls and the ceiling, and the hall wasn't particularly well lit. The optical glass was coated in the same anti-reflective tint as the surveillance car. Unless someone was specifically looking for it, the camera wouldn't be noticed.

"Two minutes," Anna warned across the radio. "And I think the cavalry just arrived."

"Video 1 is ready. Check it."

The sound of typing passed through the radio signal. "All I see is your ugly mug," she teased. "You've got incoming."

"Roger that," he said, following Taggart to the stairwell.

The door to the stairs had barely closed when Anna spoke again. "They're in the elevator."

"We're almost to the roof."

Once on the roof, Frisco detached the wench from his belt and Taggart did the same. He affixed the wench on the top of the wall above the penthouse's patio and hooked the wire to harness, showing the other man as he did.

"They're inside the penthouse," Anna told them.

"Have you ever rappelled, Taggart?" Frisco asked.

"No."

"Well, you're going to learn."

"All clear," Anna said, giving them the green light.

Frisco stood up on the wall, facing the rooftop. "You just drop. And try to hit the wall with your feet, not the rest of your body." Grinning at the younger man, he jumped off the wall.

Taggart took a deep breath, looking down below, where Frisco had landed and detached from the wire. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, then jumped himself, copying the agent.

He landed on the patio with a thump, falling on his ass. Frisco had already picked the simple lock, glancing back to see how he was and then inside to see if anyone had heard. "Sorry," he said quietly. The agent just put his finger to his mouth, wordlessly telling the other man to be quiet.

Frisco slipped through the patio doors silently. The penthouse was dark and the two moved slowly to avoid bumping into furniture. He signaled for Taggart to take the kitchen, while he went into living room.

He retrieved the box of listening devices from the bag and set it and the tube on the coffee table. He also pulled out the flashlight and tools. He carefully took one of the tiny bugs from the foam and squeezed a drop of glue on it. He felt the leg of the sofa and then put the bug at the inside top, holding the flashlight in his mouth so he could see what he was doing. He held his finger on the bug for a minute, making sure it was going to stay put. He went over to the desk and looked for a good place. He opened the drawers and felt inside. He grabbed another bug from coffee table and placed in just inside the top drawer, on the desk frame.

Taggart exited the kitchen the same time Frisco finished and repacked his equipment. The agent pointed to the stairs and the two men went up to the second floor. They proceeded to the master bedroom, checking rooms as they walked down the hall. Frisco heard a soft moan. He pushed the door open easily and stuck his head in. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, closing the door. Wonderful mother Carly had left her son alone. Well, he wasn't exactly alone, but the guards out front were hardly babysitters.

Frisco quickly planted the bug in the master bedroom, across the room from the bed. He knew the last thing Anna wanted to listen to was those two going at it. He and Taggart booked it out of the penthouse, careful to not to wake up Michael.

Back out on the patio, Frisco pointed out the remote switch on the wire. Taggart watched as Frisco hit the button and practically flew up to the roof. Hitting the button, he felt the wire yank him off the ground and pull him back up to the roof. He climbed over the wall and detached the wench, just as Frisco had. He rushed across the roof, to where the agent had reattached above the other penthouse's patio.

"Penthouse 4 is done, moving to Penthouse 2," Frisco reported to Anna.

"Roger."

They dropped down to the patio and slipped inside, just as they had a few minutes earlier. As they walked into the dark room, Frisco looked around. Jason's penthouse wasn't nearly as furnished as Sonny's, giving them fewer options. He pointed at the pool table, wanting Taggart to put a bug there. He walked to the desk and put a bug in the same place he had in Sonny's.

"Incoming!" Anna said hurriedly. "Blonde in the elevator!"

"Carly?" Frisco asked quietly, feeling his heart rate increase a few notches as he struggled to get everything back in the bag.

"No, the other one!" She groaned. "Elevator's on the floor!"

"Shit!"

Both men rushed for the patio doors, neither made it past the pool table before they heard the front door open. Taggart ducked down underneath the table. Frisco pressed himself against the wall next to a bookcase, hoping she would just go upstairs and they could get out of there.

When Courtney walked into the penthouse, she didn't bother turning on the light. She sighed moodily, throwing her keys on the desk. Frisco gestured for Taggart to try and get out, accidentally brushing bookcase in the process. He closed his eyes and mentally kicked himself. That was an amateur mistake and he was no amateur. Far from it.

The noise caught the blonde's attention. She looked around, walking to the closet cautiously.

Her shuffling in the closet was the noise they needed. Taggart was able to crawl to the door and sneak out, but Frisco hesitated, holding his breath. Courtney was coming back, wielding a baseball bat.

"Who's there?" she asked loudly, trying to sound mean. Frisco nearly laughed despite himself. Like anyone in their right mind would actually answer. "Who's there?" she asked again, moving close to him, holding the bat over her shoulder like a batter getting ready to swing.

Flashes of a lamp and antique table being smashed went through Frisco's mind. His father was yelling and stumbling. He was drunk again. As soon as he heard the door slam open, Andy had rushed to the closet, his favorite downstairs hiding place. His mother backed around the furniture, trying to calm her husband without getting too close.

He grabbed her and shook her, screaming in her face. Andy rushed out from the closet and ran up to the fighting couple. He pounded his fists on his father's back and grabbed for his bulky arms. Andrew Sr.'s arm flew out and hit Andy, knocking him to the floor several feet away.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the bad memories.

Courtney kneeled to look under the pool table, but never looked in Frisco's direction. Taggart had been lucky to get out when he did. She would've certainly found him.

She sighed again and set the bat down on the table. "You're just being silly," she muttered to herself, relieved. She turned and stomped up the stairs, never seeing the man that had broken into her home.

Once he was sure she was gone, Frisco slipped out the door and pulled himself back up to the roof.

"Cutting it a little close, huh?" Taggart said, helping him over the wall.

"You missed out, man. Mafia Skipper had a baseball bat."

"You're kidding me?"

"Maybe she doesn't know where Jason keeps the guns. I almost blew my cover laughing at her."

"Back to work, boys," Anna scolded them. "You still gotta get out of there."

"Piece of cake."

Frisco took the transmitter and the toolkit out and walked down the side. He was looking for a place between the two penthouses to put the transmitter. A rooftop satellite dish sat in a corner, several electronic boxes of various sizes nearby. Deciding that was a good place, he quickly screwed his box down, on the wall a short distance from the others.

"Transmitter in, we're heading out," he said as he and Taggart reentered the stairwell.

"Receiving data, but you're going to have to tell me what you got in Jason's place."

"We're going down two floors, then taking the elevator," he told her. Anna didn't answer immediately. "Anna?" No answer again. "Anna!" he growled between clenched teeth.

"Inbound. Lansing sprung them, they left the station a couple minutes ago, so hurry up."

He groaned softly. "Roger that."

They rushed down the stairs, trying not to be too loud. The elevator door was open when they reached the floor below the penthouses. "We're in," Frisco told her the second the first foot stepped in the elevator. The doors immediately shut behind them. "Where are they?"

"Not here yet. I don't have an ETA."

The elevator slowly went down through the floors. This was what Frisco hated. Waiting. Taking time at the start wasn't so bad, but having to wait on an elevator when he was trying to get out on a very short time frame was frustrating. With stairs he had more control, or at least he felt like he did.

"The guard just came out to smoke a cigarette. You better hurry across the lobby."

The elevator finally reached the ground floor and the door opened. Both men ran the short distance to the door. Frisco made sure the door to the mechanical room was closed behind him.

"Stay in that room. They just showed up."

"Roger."

Taggart waited near the outside door while Frisco unhooked the remote from the control box. The agent joined him as Anna came back on the radio.

"All clear."

They emerged from the building and ran down the alley, stopping at the edge to make sure it was still clear before running across the street and jumping in the car. Frisco started the car and drove off, heading back towards the docks.

"The bugs are operational. I can hear them loud and clear," Anna told him.

"Good," he sighed. "What the hell happened? That arrest should've bought us more time than that."

"Apparently someone got a hold of Lansing. Sam told me he was at the station when they got there. He demanded to know what the grounds were for the warrant and then railed into Scott for wrongfully arresting Sonny on such flimsy evidence. It was Scott's call to let them go."

"Damn it."

"Not letting him in on it was your call."

"He'd blow the op. Next time I'll know to make sure he's busy, too."

"What happened with Morgan's girlfriend?"

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't see her until she was already in the elevator."

"Did she really have a baseball bat?" Taggart asked from the backseat.

Frisco snickered. "Yes!" He glanced over at Anna. "We got two bugs in Penthouse 2. Anything coming through?"

She tabbed through the screen. "Muffled sounds. Could be from outside or upstairs." She changed screens again. "Corinthos and Morgan are in the hallway."

The detective leaned over the seat to see the computer screen. "That is so cool. I can't believe how clear the video is with that tiny little camera."

"We've got cameras smaller than that," Frisco told him, amused.

Taggart picked at the latex on his hands. "How do you get this junk off?"

* * *

Will led Mac down a hallway and left him alone in a plain room with only a table and two chairs. An interrogation room, one much colder than at the PCPD. He took a seat and stared blankly at table.

Frisco entered after a few minutes, not a trace of friendliness in his entire being. "I'm glad you could finally fit me into your busy schedule, Commissioner."

"You don't need the formality, Frisco."

"This is an official interrogation, Scorpio. Do you know what that means?" Mac didn't answer. "That means I report your involvement to the district attorney and have you suspended until the conclusion of this investigation."

"You can't do that!" Mac snapped.

"Watch me." Frisco crossed his arms. "I can and I will, without hesitation."

"You hate me so much you'd screw me over like this? You were the one that left, Frisco."

"This isn't personal, Mac. This is business. This is about the murder victim you neglected to mention you were still working with. PCPD not paying enough, you have to go back to terrorism for hire?"

"I'm not a mercenary anymore! I gave that up before Robert died."

Frisco pulled a document from a file on the table and put it in front of the other man. "Then explain to me why you talked to Montoya in _January_."

Mac, as if weighing the issue. "He called saying he'd gotten in on something big and asked me if I wanted in on it."

"And you didn't tell him no. What about the favor?"

Mac thought for a second. "How did you know what I said?"

"Echelon. Montoya was a target," Frisco told him. "I know every word you said to him on the phone. I know you met him out on the docks. Now what was the favor he was repaying?"

"A couple years ago, Montoya needed some quick cash so he ran a dummy drop." Frisco looked at him in confusion. "He sold a bunch of weapons that weren't his, intending to take off with the weapons as soon as he got the cash. He'd set up the meeting here and asked me to look the other way while his people snuck off with the weapons beforehand and he hooked up with the buyer. Once he was paid and on his way, I could go in and bust the guy. Montoya got the money he needed, I got a big bust that the PCPD needed so we didn't look so inept for not being able to bust Corinthos."

"Why would you compromise yourself like that?"

"He'd owe me. Alan Quartermaine had just told me someone was accessing Anna's medical records, so I looked into it. I found out it was David trying to find out about Alex. I thought she might've been Anna and if she and Faison both survived, I thought Robert might have too. I was going to have Montoya find out."

"But you didn't."

"By the time it actually went down, Anna had told me about Robert and I just couldn't bring myself to find out otherwise."

"Why didn't you just tell us that in the beginning? There wasn't anyone in that room that wouldn't have understood that. Hell, it crossed my mind several times, Sam's too."

"Baldwin would've had a field day with that."

"You could've told me after the meeting. I wouldn't have done anything. Instead, you avoided me."

"I'm sorry, Frisco. I guess I was just ashamed of what I did."

"God, Mac, I was a NOC, for christsakes! I've done a lot of things I'd be ashamed of in regular circumstances. I would've understood."

"I'm sorry!"

"What was the meeting on the docks about?" Mac didn't answer right away, making Frisco even more suspicious. "What was the meeting about?" he repeated through gritted teeth.

"He made me an offer to repay his favor."

"How?"

The Aussie put his head in his hands. "Taking care of Corinthos for me." He leaned back, avoiding eye contact with the other man. "He told me he knew about my problem and he could take care of it so it would never be traced back to me. Not by the police or the Feds, anyway."

"And what did you say?"

"I was weak, Frisco. He keeps flaunting his business in my face, the fact we can't get any charges to stick. The case against Jason was starting to fall apart, Montoya told me he knew someone else had murdered Alcazar, I guess now he meant you. I hated that we might lose to Morgan and Corinthos again, I told him to do whatever he wanted to Corinthos's business, just as long as no one got hurt."

"Well, someone got killed."

"And Montoya was dead before the warehouse was bombed."

Frisco nodded in agreement, thinking. "Yes, he was."

"It was a personal favor, Frisco. That's all. I doubt he brought Faison into it or that Faison would even remotely agree to help me."

"Unless it helped him somehow."

"What are you thinking?"

"He could be trying to put you in his debt. Or framing you."

"Why?"

"That's the million dollar question these days."

"I thought the bombing was unrelated. You were guessing it was the terrorists retaliating for the break in at their warehouse."

"Montoya's prints were on the incendiary device. He had no ties to that group. No one in the DVX does."

* * *

Will knocked on his boss's door and entered tentatively, holding several files in his hands. "Agent Jones?"

Frisco sighed. "This better be important," he said, not even looking away from the computer screen.

"I couldn't find Agent Devane, so I thought I'd bring this down to you. I know you'd want to see it right away."

"What it is?" he asked in annoyance.

Will set the files down on Frisco's desk and opened one. "I found a connection between all of the victims, including Montoya and Berkley." He showed the file to the older agent. "They all worked on an op in the late '80s called Operation Tarkin. CIA, MI-6, WSB and even the DVX were all involved."

"I remember it. It was a joint op to get a batch of nuclear weapons out of the hands of a terrorist that was getting ready to launch one of the missiles from a base in Libya. I worked one of the side ops."

"Well, all the victims were on the main roster. I took the liberty of looking up the rest of the agents listed. CIA wouldn't give me any details at all on their agents."

"Big surprise there," he said sarcastically.

"MI-6 reports two of their agents dead, but both are unrelated according to them. All other agents accounted for."

"Now that is a surprise. Usual they're as bad as the CIA about handing out information."

"I gave them the names I pulled from the files. They said they'd look into it, but they didn't give me any more information than that. The DVX on the other hand, I got lucky. They've been investigating several suspicious disappearances. I managed to get the agent working of the case. All of the missing agents are on this roster."

Several names were starred. Frisco figured those were the missing DVX agents. "What about ours?"

"Three dead, five missing, six in the field and accounted for. The three deaths appear to be unrelated, as well as two of the missing."

"Which leaves three missing agents who could already be victims. Go talk to Director Donely and find out what the other six are up to. If there's any chance of danger, I want them warned."

"Yes, sir."

"Good work, Will," Frisco said as the young man left.

Will smiled uncertainly. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

Spiders. They were crawling all over him. He was screaming, but all he heard were the voices laughing at him. He tried to move, to knock the creepy, crawly things off him, but he was tied to the table. Arms, legs, chest, he couldn't move. He could feel the light brushing of all those little legs and feet all over his body. Something was brushed on his arm.

Then he felt the teeth.

First one pair, then another and another and another...

He gave up on trying to be strong and screamed like the pathetic wimp he was.

The guards must've gotten angry because the laughing stopped and they were shaking him. He fought back and felt hands trying to hold him down. He pushed his attacker away. He looked down at his hands, he wasn't tied down anymore. He was free. He jumped off the bed, stumbling onto the floor.

Guards were standing over him. He scooted backwards, whimpering, until he felt his back against the wall. He curled up into a ball in the corner of the room, hoping they would just go away.

"Frisco?"

No, he was hearing things. He hadn't heard that soft voice in years. She was dead. It couldn't be her.

"Frisco, it's Anna. Please don't fight me."

"What are you doing here? You have to go. The guards will hurt you, too."

"I'm going to go get help and I'll be right back."

"No, just go. Save yourself."

"I will be right back," she repeated.

This was his punishment for leaving Felicia. Torture in an Iraqi prison.

* * *

Anna had woken up to Frisco screaming. She rushed into his room to see what was wrong and found him in the throws of a nightmare. Not the first time she'd woken him up from a nightmare, but he wasn't waking up, not really.

She rushed to the phone, then realized she didn't know Kevin's number. She searched all over the living room but couldn't find his cell phone. She ran back upstairs and back into his bedroom. It was in his bedroom, it had to be.

The cell phone was right where she thought it was, on the bedside table. She grabbed it and quickly scrolled through the speed dial. She found the number and clicked on it. She glanced over at her friend as she listened to the ringing.

"Hello?" Lucy answered crabbily, obviously not happy over being woken by the phone.

"Lucy, it's Anna. I need to talk to Kevin," she said, urgency in her voice.

"It's the middle of the night!"

"It's important!"

She heard muffled talking. "Is it Frisco?"

"Why else would I be calling?"

"He says he'll be over in a few minutes."

"Thank you, Lucy."

* * *

Anna paced in the living room, waiting for Kevin to arrive. She froze when she heard a car pull up. She threw the door open before the doctor could knock.

"What happened?" Kevin asked with a sigh.

"He was having a nightmare. I went in and woke him up, but it's like he's still in it. He was telling me to get out of there before the guards came back."

"Stay down here," he told her. "I'll take care of him."

Silently, Kevin went up the stairs as Anna dialed Tony's number.

Anna and Tony were sitting in silence on the sofa when Sean walked in. They looked at each other in confusion. "What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"I called him," Kevin said, descending the stairs.

"How is he?" Tony asked worriedly.

"I gave him a sedative. He should be asleep for awhile." He paused for a moment. "Frisco needs a serious vacation. I think it's time to take him out of the rotation. His flashbacks are progressing into delusions."

* * *

Paul silently sat in the bedside chair. Frisco looked at him, but didn't say anything either. Outside of the Nurse's Ball, they hadn't seen each other since BJ's funeral.

"I remember," Paul started, getting comfortable in his chair, "when you were about three years old, that party for Grandma's birthday. Aunt Ellen's house in Sausalito. You remember it?"

Frisco shook his head. "I vaguely remember her house. Right on those cliffs by the Bay, always windy as hell, cold marble floors."

Paul chuckled, caught up in the memory. "Anyway, you disappeared. Tony was supposed to be watching you and wasn't. He had his nose buried in a book, like he usually did. Aunt Annabelle ran around that big old house looking for you. She was just frantic, trying to get a search party going. She was so sure you'd jumped off the cliff. Then here you came, sliding down the banister, not a stitch of clothing on."

Frisco couldn't help but smile. He didn't have any memory of that, but it certainly sounded like something he'd do. Aunt Ellen's house actually a mansion, with a big front staircase that spilled out in the entryway. He always slid down that marble banister and always got yelled at for it, although it never bothered his grandmother's sister. She got a kick out of it.

"Aunt Annabelle came after you and you ran. You took off out of that house and made her chase you all over the yard. When she finally caught up to you, she and Uncle Andrew tried to get your clothes back on you, but you fought like hell. Of course, they were no match for you. You wriggled out of their grasp."

"And Mom let me run around naked."

"No, Uncle Andrew did."

He didn't believe it. His father would have never let him do anything like that. He was too conservative, too strict. His mother was the lenient one. "No way."

"He'd just lost to a three year old in front of the whole family. As far as he was concerned, you could stay naked."

"Was there a point to that story, Paul?"

The older man thought before answering. "Not really. Just remembering who you used to be."

"You expect me to be the same now? I was just a toddler then."

"You were never just a toddler. You always had a very distinct personality. You were such a fighter. Something's changed in the last ten years. I won't pretend to have any idea what."

"I grew up."

"No. Uncle Andrew's funeral, you were grown up. Your first wedding to Felicia, you were grown up. Maxie's christening, you were grown up, although you behaved like the bratty kid you used to be when Rita showed up. BJ's funeral you were grown up. Something always seems to bring you back down, something you just can't let go of. Something you can't bring yourself to trust anyone else with."

Frisco looked at his cousin strangely. Paul wasn't one to give lectures like Tony. Hell, Paul hardly knew him.

"Don't look at me like that. I know you better than you think." He shook his head, turning his gaze away from his younger cousin. "You always do this. You underestimate the people around you. What we can be trusted with, what we understand, what we know about you."

Frisco sighed. "Paul, you don't know squat about me."

Paul looked him in the eye. "I may not know what's gone down with this WSB stuff, but I know the why."

"Oh yeah?" Frisco asked dubiously.

"You remember the few weeks you lived with Linda and I? I remember those phone calls with your dad. You always asked him if you could go home."

It was during his mother's illness, just before he'd been shipped off boarding school. That time was burned into his memory. His father had decided it would be if he was out of the house for awhile, because he was causing his mother too much stress. Paul lived nearby and had offered to take him in, without discussing it with his wife. "He always said no," he said quietly.

"And you always ended up crying yourself to sleep afterwards, even though you covered it up by blasting Led Zeppelin and annoying Linda."

He remembered their fights well, the guilt of helping destroy his cousin's marriage resurfacing. "She left after that."

"That wasn't your fault. Our marriage was on the rocks before you moved in. She was just a bitch, making you think it had anything to do with you. It didn't."

"That's good to know."

Paul slowly shook his head. "I still can't believe how much you remind me of Aunt Annabelle."


End file.
